Türkiye arrests 25 international fugitives wanted by 18 countries

Turkish authorities have successfully apprehended 25 international fugitives during the “KUYU-21” operations – a series of coordinated raids conducted across eight provinces.

The operations, led by Türkiye’s General Directorate of Security Intelligence, KOM (Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime) Department and Interpol Europol Department, targeted individuals wanted by 18 different countries through Interpol red notices and diffusion alerts.

High-profile arrests for serious criminal offenses

The raids were carried out in Antalya, Bursa, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, Sakarya, Samsun, and Trabzon, leading to the capture of suspects with outstanding international warrants.

These individuals are wanted by countries including Germany, Australia, Azerbaijan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Mongolia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Russia, Syria, Turkmenistan and Jordan.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya provided details on the arrested suspects, who are accused of serious criminal offenses.

These include:

• Establishing or being a member of an organization to commit a crime
• Drug trafficking
• Intentional killing
• Deprivation of liberty of a person
• Sexual crimes
• Forgery of official documents
• Fraud
• Money laundering
• Human trafficking
• Immigrant smuggling crimes

8️⃣ İlde düzenlenen “KUYU-21” operasyonlarında 1️⃣8️⃣ ülke tarafından haklarında INTERPOL’ün
🟥 Kırmızı Bülten ve
❌ Difüzyon Mesajı (Acil Yakalama Mesajı) ile aranma kaydı bulunan 2️⃣5️⃣ şüpheli yakalandı❗

Aziz Milletimizin Bilmesini İsterim ki;
Hangi bülten ile aranırsa aransın,… pic.twitter.com/nM7CXDGjs9

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) August 31, 2024

Extradition processes underway

Following their arrests, the suspects were handed over to the Provincial Immigration Directorates, where extradition processes have been initiated.