Some 43 suspects, including ring leaders of organized crime groups, were apprehended in the "Cage-37" anti-smuggling operations carried out in several provinces, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Wednesday.
Taking to his social media account, Yerlikaya said: "None of the organized crime groups will be able to escape from the supreme Turkish justice. Our operations will continue uninterrupted at dawn and dusk. All the culprits will be in prison."
Yerlikaya stated that in the "Cage-37" operations carried out simultaneously in Elazığ and Konya, two organized crime organizations, led by Ömer Faruk Bulut in Elazığ and Engin Yolcu in Konya, were detained.
Yerlikaya expressed firm determination not to tolerate those who distribute drugs, emphasizing the serious threat posed to young people and the future. He extended his heartfelt congratulations to the police, gendarmerie and customs enforcement teams responsible for the operation.
The operations were carried out under the coordination of the General Directorate of Security, the Anti-Narcotic Crimes Department, the Gendarmerie General Command and the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department (KOM).
The Konya Police Department's Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Branch Directorate conducted an operation leading to the arrest of seven suspects, including the organization's leader.
Yerlikaya revealed that the suspects were involved in criminal activities such as forming an organization for illegal purposes, intentional homicide, assault, robbery and weapon-related threats.
They were also attempting to monopolize illicit gambling establishments. The operation resulted in the confiscation of 11 unlicensed pistols, eight shotguns and three rifles, along with ammunition and various narcotics.
