Turkey has brought back 40 people wanted on international and domestic arrest warrants, including 20 sought under INTERPOL Red Notices, through cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced.
In a statement posted on X Yerlikaya said the remaining 20 suspects were wanted at the national level. The individuals were returned to Turkey from Georgia, Germany, Bulgaria, the United States, Croatia, Switzerland, Montenegro, Russia and Greece.
🟥 Kırmızı Bültenle ve
❌ Ulusal Seviyede Aradığımız 40 Suçluyu,GÜRCİSTAN(27), ALMANYA(4), BULGARİSTAN(3), ABD, HIRVATİSTAN, İSVİÇRE, KARADAĞ, RUSYA ve YUNANİSTAN’dan Ülkemize Getirdik.
🟥 Kırmızı Bültenle Aradığımız;
-“Kasten Öldürme” suçundan aranan H.S. isimli şahıs… pic.twitter.com/oe4HtzdxXd
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) January 2, 2026
According to the minister, the suspects were wanted in connection with a range of serious crimes, including homicide, organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, sexual offenses, weapons-related crimes and terrorism charges.
The minister provided further details on individual cases without releasing the full names of the suspects but listing only their initials, in line with Turkish practice.
Most of the suspects were detained in Georgia, while the others were apprehended in several other countries, Yerlikaya said.
The operations were carried out through coordination between Turkish security units and their foreign counterparts, using INTERPOL and Europol channels as well as bilateral cooperation agreements.
Yerlikaya praised the work of Turkey’s police, intelligence and judicial authorities, including the INTERPOL-Europol Department, organized crime, narcotics, cybercrime, counterterrorism and public security units as well as officials from the Justice Ministry.
The 40 fugitives are among the dozens of wanted criminals whose capture in Turkey or abroad Yerlikaya has announced on X since taking office in June 2023.
During the time in office of Süleyman Soylu, Yerlikaya’s predecessor, 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.
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.