Turkey police crackdown arrests 313 in organized crime sweep

The Turkish Interior Ministry and gendarmerie carried out coordinated raids in 24 provinces, targeting 32 organized‑crime groups. A total of 313 suspects were detained, of whom 197 were remanded in custody and the remaining placed under judicial control. The operations uncovered illegal activities ranging from arms smuggling and drug trafficking to cyber‑fraud, illegal betting, migrant smuggling and money‑laundering, with about 21.9 billion lira in suspicious bank transactions identified.

A related simultaneous operation in Antalya focused on the municipal subsidiary ANSET. Authorities arrested 27 suspects across seven provinces; 14 were later sentenced to prison for alleged bid‑rigging, bribery and laundering of criminal proceeds. Ten individuals were initially detained in the Antalya probe, with five subsequently jailed. The investigations were conducted by the gendarmerie, anti‑organized‑crime units and public prosecutors.