Turkey conducts nationwide crackdown on organized crime and cybercrime, arresting over 500 suspects

Turkey’s interior ministry announced two large‑scale police operations in July 2026. In a coordinated sweep across 16 provinces, gendarmerie, anti‑organized‑crime and cyber‑crime directorates, together with the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and public prosecutors, detained 228 individuals linked to 22 separate organized‑crime networks. The suspects were involved in fraud, drug trafficking, illegal betting, extortion and embezzlement, with financial records showing more than 10 billion Turkish lira in suspicious transactions. Authorities seized assets worth roughly 818 million lira, including companies, real estate and hundreds of bank accounts.

A separate operation targeting cyber‑related offenses was carried out in 14–24 provinces, leading to the arrest of 306 suspects. Investigators uncovered illegal activities such as child sexual exploitation material, payment‑card fraud, unauthorized access to mobile banking and gaming accounts, illegal gambling, and investment‑scam schemes. Eighteen of those arrested were detained pending trial, while sixteen were placed under judicial control.

Both operations were described by officials as part of an uncompromising effort to combat crime and protect public order throughout the country.