Türkiye has extradited 15 fugitives wanted on serious criminal charges after their capture in six countries, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Sunday.
Nine of the suspects were sought under Interpol Red Notices, while six were wanted at the national level, Yerlikaya said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. The individuals were detained in Georgia, Germany, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, North Macedonia and Greece and have since been returned to Türkiye.
Among those extradited are suspects accused of murder, drug trafficking, fraud, organized crime activity and sexual abuse of a child, according to the Interior Ministry.
Yerlikaya said three Red-Notice suspects were apprehended in Germany, including one accused of premeditated murder and two others wanted for drug trafficking and a range of violent and property-related crimes.
Additional Red-Notice fugitives were detained in Georgia on charges including intentional killing, armed threats, theft and illegal possession of firearms.
Two suspects wanted for drug export and organized crime offenses were captured in Montenegro, while a fraud suspect was apprehended in North Macedonia.
The Interior Ministry said six individuals wanted at the national level were also extradited. These included suspects accused of attempted murder in Greece, homicide and assault in Azerbaijan, aggravated sexual abuse of a child in Georgia, and multiple fraud and theft cases in Germany and Georgia.
Yerlikaya praised the coordination between Türkiye’s law enforcement agencies and international partners, citing the work of the General Directorate of Security’s Interpol-Europol Department, as well as officials from the Justice and Foreign Ministries.
“We will continue to pursue members of organized crime groups and drug traffickers wanted under red notices and bring them back to our country one by one,” Yerlikaya said.
