French authorities have put 10 Turkish nationals under formal investigation and jailed nine of them pending trial after police dismantled an alleged international arms trafficking network in southeastern France, the French Le Parisien daily reported, citing the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone told Le Parisien that the operation was carried out on June 9 in the Alpes-Maritimes department, which includes parts of the French Riviera
Investigators seized assets worth nearly €1.475 million ($1.71 million), including cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry and other high-value items, prosecutors said.
French authorities said they had uncovered a mafia-style criminal organization suspected of supplying an arms trafficking network with links to Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium and France.
The group is also suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and human trafficking, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The 10 suspects, all Turkish nationals, are accused of belonging to an organization allegedly directed by a person currently imprisoned in Turkey.
The alleged leader was not named.
The suspects were first taken into police custody and later brought before an investigating judge.
All 10 were put under formal investigation, a step in the French legal system used when judges believe there is serious or consistent evidence linking a person to a crime.
Nine of the suspects were jailed pending trial, while one was released under judicial supervision, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said.
French gendarmes seized three handguns, ammunition, €31,000 in cash, four luxury vehicles, jewelry and several luxury items.
Investigators said they had documented the alleged role of several members of the organization in transporting and circulating firearms inside France.
French and Belgian Europol officers were present during the operation to help connect the case with investigations in other European countries examining the same criminal network.
The allegations have not yet been tested in court.
The operation comes amid growing concern in Europe over transnational criminal networks involved in arms trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.
Europol said in a 2024 assessment that it had identified 821 of the most threatening criminal networks active in or affecting the European Union, with more than 25,000 members.
The agency said such networks are often highly international, with most operating in two to seven countries.
Turkey has also attracted attention in international organized crime assessments.
The Global Organized Crime Index 2025 said Turkey plays a significant role in the illicit arms trade as a source, transit and destination country.
The index said weapons that originated in Turkey, including blank-firing weapons that can be converted into lethal firearms, have increasingly been trafficked into Europe.
It also said Turkey remains a major hub for human smuggling because of its location and large refugee population and that the country’s role in the global cocaine trade has grown significantly.
Turkish mafia-style groups have gained prominence in global trafficking and work with Latin American cartels, according to the index.