Turkish security forces detained 48 suspected migrant smugglers in operations across 23 provinces, the Interior Ministry announced Monday, as authorities intensified efforts against irregular migration and organized smuggling networks.
Thirty-one of the suspects were formally arrested following judicial proceedings, while 17 were released under judicial supervision, the ministry said in a statement.
The operations were coordinated by the Gendarmerie General Command’s Department of Combating Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking and the Turkish Coast Guard Command.
Raids and enforcement operations were carried out in the provinces of Ağrı, Ankara, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bitlis, Çanakkale, Düzce, Edirne, Erzurum, Hatay, Izmir, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Konya, Manisa, Muğla, Siirt, Sivas, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Tekirdağ, Tunceli and Van.
Authorities used both aerial and ground surveillance during the operations. Unmanned aerial vehicles operated by the Gendarmerie General Command conducted surveillance from the air, while provincial gendarmerie units carried out operations on the ground.
Public security, highway patrol and commando units also participated, while Coast Guard personnel supported coordinated operations targeting maritime smuggling routes.
Security forces seized 83 vehicles and 18 boats and boat engines believed to have been used in migrant smuggling activities, the ministry said.
All 48 suspects detained during the operations were subjected to judicial proceedings.
Türkiye has stepped up operations targeting networks accused of facilitating irregular migration, particularly in provinces along its land and maritime borders and along major transit routes.
The Interior Ministry said authorities would continue operations against irregular migration and migrant smuggling networks to protect public order and national security.
The ministry said its approach to combating irregular migration would continue to prioritize human rights while maintaining public order and safeguarding the country’s national interests.
It also thanked personnel from the Gendarmerie, Coast Guard and migrant smuggling and human trafficking units involved in the operations.
Separately, in the central Turkish province of Nevşehir, a suspect accused of transporting four irregular migrants and agreeing to take them from Sivas to Nevşehir for TL 50,000 ($1,040) per person was formally arrested by a court.
As part of a joint operation against migrant smuggling by the Nevşehir Provincial Police Department's Intelligence Branch and the Department of Combating Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates, police placed the suspect, identified as Hüseyin Ö., under surveillance.
Authorities determined during questioning that Hüseyin Ö. had agreed to transport the four irregular migrants from Sivas to Nevşehir for TL 50,000 per person.
The suspect was detained and referred to a courthouse after procedures at the police station. A court subsequently ordered his arrest and he was sent to prison.
Deportation proceedings have been initiated for the four illegal migrants.
On Saturday, the Turkish Coast Guard also rescued 37 irregular migrants, including three children, from a rubber boat off the coast of Didim in the western province of Aydın after they were pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek authorities.
Coast Guard boats were dispatched after receiving information about a group of irregular migrants aboard a rubber boat off Didim.
The Coast Guard rescued all 37 migrants from the vessel.
