Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Friday that security forces have detained 155 suspected migrant smuggling organizers in coordinated operations across 15 provinces over the past two weeks, as Ankara steps up its crackdown on irregular migration networks.
In a statement shared on his NSosyal media account, Yerlikaya said the operations were carried out under the coordination of the Gendarmerie General Command’s department for combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Raids were conducted in Aydın, Çanakkale, Edirne, Iğdır, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kars, Kırklareli, Kırşehir, Kocaeli, Muğla, Sakarya, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ and Van, with support from provincial gendarmerie units and commando teams.
It was announced that 50 of the suspects were formally arrested by courts, while 27 others were released under judicial supervision. Legal procedures for the remaining detainees are ongoing.
Authorities also seized 81 vehicles and six boats during the operations, some of which involved the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, the minister said.
Yerlikaya noted that investigators uncovered an organized smuggling network extending from major cities to coastal provinces, often used as departure points for irregular migration routes.
While congratulating the teams that contributed, he said, Türkiye’s migration management policy places strong emphasis on security while respecting the rule of law and human rights, adding that border security has been reinforced through advanced technologies and monitoring systems.
Measures against those who encourage or organize illegal migration are being pursued both on the ground and through legal channels, he said.
On the other hand, Turkish coast guard teams also intercepted and rescued dozens of irregular migrants in three separate operations off the coast of the western province of Izmir on Jan. 14, authorities said.
According to a statement, a coast guard boat on patrol detected a moving boat off the Karaburun district. The vessel was stopped, and 17 irregular migrants were detained along with one suspected migrant smuggler.
The final operation took place that night after authorities received a distress call reporting that a rubber dinghy carrying migrants was drifting due to engine failure. Coast guard teams were dispatched to the area and rescued 39 irregular migrants from the drifting boat, including 16 children, officials said.
All detained and rescued migrants were transferred to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after initial procedures. The suspected migrant smuggler was taken into custody, and legal proceedings were launched.
The Turkish coast guard regularly conducts patrols in the Aegean Sea as part of efforts to prevent irregular migration and combat human smuggling.
Türkiye has intensified nationwide operations in recent years amid rising regional migration pressures.
