Forty-two suspects wanted by the authorities in 12 countries for crimes ranging from drug trafficking and theft to murder, counterfeiting, assault and migrant smuggling have been apprehended, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Friday.
Yerlikaya said on X that the suspects were listed in INTERPOL’s Red Notice or Diffusion systems, which flag suspects sought for arrest and extradition by individual countries.
He said the suspects were apprehended as part of Operation Cage-31 across 13 provinces and were wanted by Germany, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iran, Sweden, Finland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
1⃣3️⃣ İlimizde eş zamanlı olarak düzenlenen “KAFES-31” operasyonuyla 1⃣2️⃣ ülke tarafından haklarında INTERPOL’ün
🟥 Kırmızı Bülten ve
❌ Difüzyon Mesajı (Acil Yakalama Mesajı) ile arama kaydı bulunan 4️⃣2⃣ şahıs yakalandı. Operasyon devam ediyor.Hangi büyüklükte olursa olsun,… pic.twitter.com/SXV0uEU7mk
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) January 19, 2024
The minister did not disclose the names of the detainees and vowed to continue his ministry’s ongoing crackdown on criminal organizations and drug traffickers regardless of nationality.
Yerlikaya is seen as a close and ambitious political ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announcing major arrests since his appointment last year.
He said Turkish police have detained 114 people who were sought on INTERPOL Red Notices as part of the “Cage” operations since January 1.
The capture of dozens of internationally wanted criminals in Turkey after Yerlikaya took office has led to claims that Turkey became a safe haven for criminals during the term of Yerlikaya’s predecessor, Süleyman Soylu.
Turkey faced allegations of involvement in international drug trafficking during Soylu’s term, primarily driven by Turkish mob boss Sedat Peker. In a series of dramatic videos in 2021, Peker accused Soylu and other high-ranking officials of protecting and facilitating cocaine trafficking networks.
Soylu’s departure from the ministry had brought his alleged involvement in international drug trafficking and ties to mafia groups into the spotlight, leading to significant changes in the Turkish police force and crackdowns on international drug rings.
Soylu was appointed interior minister shortly after a coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016. He was the architect of a massive purge and arrest of thousands of non-loyalist citizens on bogus terrorism or coup charges.
He was elected to parliament in the May general election as a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker and enjoys parliamentary immunity.