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An İstanbul court on Thursday arrested 94 people after they were detained in an operation targeting an İstanbul-based gang named Daltonlar (Daltons), a loosely organized, youth-dominated crime group.
The operation was carried out in nine provinces on the order of İstanbul prosecutors.
The suspects arrested in the operation are accused of murder, injury, threats of violence, robbery and shooting at workplaces for the purpose of robbery.
Police conducted simultaneous raids earlier this week in the districts of Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Beylikdüzü, Beykoz, Esenyurt, Kartal, Küçükçekmece, Sultangazi, Şişli, Tuzla, Ümraniye and Zeytinburnu in İstanbul province.
During these operations 165 suspects were taken into custody, and searches of their locations yielded 259 unlicensed handguns, three rifles, 329 firearm mechanisms and 89 rifle barrels as well as ammunition.
After the time spent in police custody, 123 suspects were referred to court, where 94 were arrested and jailed, while 29 were released under judicial supervision. Proceedings against 42 suspects in custody were ongoing at the time of writing, according to Turkish media.
The Daltonlar gang most recently came into spotlight with the murder of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) member Serdar Öktem, a lawyer by profession. He died in the hospital after being shot by four people police identified as members of the Daltonlar gang while waiting in his car in traffic. Nine people, including two under the age of 18, were arrested in connection with the incident. Öktem was among those on trial over the 2022 assassination of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş.
Öktem had allegedly become a target of the Daltonlar gang due to his close ties to a rival gang.