Major Crackdown on Organized Crime Gangs in Turkey: 57 Suspects Arrested in “KUYU-5” Operations
In a significant move against organized crime, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the “KUYU-5” operations dismantled five major organized crime gangs in the cities of Hatay, Ankara, Çankırı, and Konya. A total of 57 suspects, including four gang leaders, have been apprehended during these operations.
Speaking on his social media account, Minister Yerlikaya stated, “Our dear nation should know that we will not allow city bandits to breathe. With the prayers and support of our nation, our determined operations against organized crime gangs will continue at dawn and sunset.”
The operations, coordinated by the General Directorate of Security’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department (KOM), involved the provincial KOM branches in Hatay, Ankara, Çankırı, and Konya. The arrested suspects were found to have been involved in various criminal activities, including:
– Conducting armed attacks against rival criminal groups
– Attempting to rob complainants by assault and threats
– Kidnapping complainants and demanding ransom from their families
– Intervening in personal financial disputes
– Threatening individuals over drug trade conflicts
– Forcing complainants to sign promissory notes through illegal methods
– Collecting debts through force and violence, preventing individuals from filing complaints
– Engaging in loan sharking, burdening complainants with high-interest debt and threatening those unable to pay
– Defrauding customers in industrial sites and using threats and violence against those who protested
– Profiting from illegal drug and arms trade
As a result of the operations:
– 17 unlicensed pistols
– 10 unlicensed rifles
– 5 converted blank-firing pistols
– A significant quantity of drugs
– Numerous promissory notes and a large sum of Turkish Lira were confiscated.
Minister Yerlikaya expressed his appreciation for the police force involved, stating, “I congratulate our heroic police officers. May God protect you. The prayers of our nation are with you.”
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