Ten suspects have been arrested in Turkey in connection with a ship carrying almost 10 tons of cocaine that was intercepted off Spain’s Canary Islands earlier this month, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing prosecutors.
The arrests followed coordinated operations carried out in six provinces across Turkey as part of an investigation led by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Twelve suspects were detained in raids conducted in İstanbul, Mersin, Tekirdağ, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Hatay, prosecutors said. Ten were arrested, while two were released under judicial supervision.
Among the arrestees is Çetin Gören, who, according to some Turkish media reports is the owner of the United S, along with Engin Çavuş, Mesut Yalçın, Fares Diab, Semra Almassri, Ahmad Almassri, Abdurrahman Khalleefah Sulayman Madi, Mehmet Murat Buldanlıoğlu, İbrahim Yılmaz and Hasan Can.
The investigation was launched after Spanish security forces boarded the Cameroonian-flagged United S on January 6 while it was sailing in international waters off the Canary Islands. Spanish authorities seized 9,994 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 294 packages hidden among a shipment of salt and detained 13 crew members, including four Turkish citizens — Kubilay Yalçın, Ali Osman Amanet, Remzi Karakaya and Atanur Ateş —who remain in custody in Spain.
Prosecutors said three other suspects are fugitives and that efforts to issue INTERPOL Red Notices are underway.
As part of the investigation the suspects’ movable and immovable assets, including company shares, bank accounts and cryptocurrency holdings, have also been seized under a court order.
The suspects face charges that include establishing a criminal organization, international drug trafficking and laundering criminal proceeds. The investigation is ongoing.
Turkish media previously reported that the ship, identified as the United S, was owned by Kamer Shipping & Trading Co., a company based in Turkey. A separate Turkish firm, Kamer Marine Denizcilik, later issued a statement denying any ownership or operational ties to the vessel, saying confusion had arisen due to the similarity in company names.
Prosecutors did not make any clarification about whether the company operating the ship is Turkey based.
Spanish authorities have not publicly accused any Turkey-based company of wrongdoing, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The case has attracted criticism from the opposition, particularly over the absence of Turkish law enforcement units from the international operation.
The operation, code-named “White Tide,” involved cooperation with law enforcement agencies from the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France and Portugal.
Murat Bakan, a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), questioned Interior Ministry officials about whether Turkish authorities had launched their own investigation and whether financial trails linked to the shipment were being examined.
Spain described the seizure as the largest maritime cocaine bust in its history.