Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Sunday that 24 fugitives wanted on international and national warrants have been returned to Türkiye from Georgia, Germany, Austria, Montenegro, Serbia and Greece as part of coordinated extradition operations.
In a statement shared on social media, Yerlikaya said 20 of the suspects were sought through Interpol red notices and diffusion alerts, while four were wanted at the national level. He added that 19 of the suspects were extradited from Georgia and the remaining were returned from several European countries.
Yerlikaya noted that over the past 2.5 years, Türkiye has secured the return of 584 suspects wanted on red notices from 58 countries, underscoring intensified international cooperation in combating transnational crime.
The operations were carried out through coordination among the General Directorate of Security’s Interpol-Europol Department, the Ministry of Justice, intelligence units and multiple law enforcement divisions, including organized crime, narcotics, public order, cybercrime, migrant smuggling and border control departments.
The suspects were wanted for a range of crimes, including organized crime, drug trafficking and other serious offenses, Yerlikaya said, adding that all individuals have been transferred to Türkiye to face judicial proceedings.
Emphasizing Türkiye’s determination to pursue fugitives abroad, Yerlikaya said authorities will continue to locate, detain and return suspects regardless of where they are hiding.
“We will bring back members of organized crime groups and drug traffickers, no matter which warrant they are wanted under,” he added, thanking all institutions involved in the operations.
