Interior Minister of Turkey Ali Yerlikaya declared a massive global operation on April 15 targeting organised crime groups in five countries. The operation, covering Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Belgium, led to the arrest of more than 200 people, and the majority were detained within Turkey.
Details of the Operation
At a press conference, Yerlikaya announced that a total of 234 members of an organised crime group were apprehended. Nine were arrested outside the country, while the other 225 were detained in Turkey. The operation, Orkinos-Bulut, involved simultaneous coordinated raids at the same time in the five countries.
Governments also exchanged intelligence and information with a number of countries, including Britain and France, before the operation, reinforcing global cooperation against criminality.
Seizures and Criminal Activities Revealed
In the raids, law enforcers confiscated 21.2 tonnes of drugs, including drug products like heroin, cocaine, and cannabis. Yerlikaya brought into perspective the extent of global operations by such organizations, where they were involved in numerous illegal operations like drug trafficking, money laundering, and smuggling.
The criminal groups targeted by the operation were discovered to be smuggling cocaine from South America to Turkey and Europe, heroin from Iran and Afghanistan, cannabis via the Balkans, and ecstasy throughout Europe.
Seizures of Assets and Properties
As part of the operation, the authorities also confiscated substantial assets, such as 681 real estate properties and 127 vehicles worth about 13 billion Turkish Liras. The move is a serious blow to the criminal groups working abroad.
International Cooperation in the Operation
Apart from Turkish officials, some other agencies took part in the operation. These included Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Istanbul Police Department, and Narcotics Crimes Combating Department. From abroad, police departments of the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Belgium, along with the European Police Organization (EUROPOL), were important contributors to the operation.
