Twelve fugitives wanted by Turkey, including 11 on INTERPOL Red Notices, have been extradited from nine countries following their capture in a coordinated international effort, according to Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Yerlikaya announced on X on Wednesday that the suspects were apprehended in the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Montenegro, Poland, Kosovo and Georgia. The coordinated operation involved Turkey’s Justice Ministry and the Turkish National Police’s INTERPOL-EUROPOL department, along with several other domestic law enforcement branches.
🟥 Kırmızı Bültenle Aradığımız 11,
❌ Ulusal Seviyede Aradığımız 1,
Olmak Üzere 12 SuçluyuABD, ALMANYA(4), İTALYA, FRANSA, YUNANİSTAN, KARADAĞ, POLONYA, KOSOVA ve GÜRCİSTAN’dan Ülkemize Getirdik.
Bu kabine dönemimizde 383 suçlunun ülkemize iadesini sağladık.… pic.twitter.com/Lkx9pptESS
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) June 25, 2025
Yerlikaya identified the returned individuals by their initials only and said they were wanted for various offenses, including terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking.
“No matter which country they run to or under what notice they’re wanted, terrorists, organized crime members and drug traffickers will all be tracked down and brought back to Turkey. They cannot escape the Turkish police,” Yerlikaya said.
Since taking office as interior minister in June 2023, Yerlikaya has made high-profile international arrests a signature of his tenure. Under his leadership, Turkish law enforcement has stepped up its pursuit of transnational crime suspects and expanded cooperation with international policing agencies.
During the time in office of Yerlikaya’s predecessor, Süleyman Soylu, Turkey faced allegations of involvement in international drug trafficking, primarily driven by Turkish mob boss Sedat Peker. In a series of dramatic videos in 2021, Peker accused Soylu and other high-ranking officials of protecting and facilitating cocaine trafficking networks.
Only 488 operations were conducted against organized crime groups during Soylu’s time in office in 2022.
Soylu’s departure from the ministry had brought his alleged involvement in international drug trafficking and ties to mafia groups into the spotlight, leading to significant changes in the Turkish police force and crackdowns on international drug rings.