UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Kemal Karadag and Sertac Bulur
ANKARA (AA) – Over 65 suspects were arrested and millions of dollars seized in the largest anti-narcotics operation in Turkey’s history, the country’s interior minister said on Tuesday.
The operation, titled Swamp, was conducted in collaboration with nine countries and led to the arrest of 67 suspects and the seizure of 70 million Turkish liras (over $10.21 million), Suleyman Soylu said in a statement.
“One of the group’s top executives is wanted with an [Interpol] red notice, and has been sentenced to 26 years in prison in Brazil and the Netherlands,” he said.
Anti-narcotics teams targeted individuals involved in drug trafficking and other illegal activities in Turkey, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, England, Spain, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and other countries since the 90s, according to a security source, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Prosecutors in the capital Ankara issued arrest warrants for 94 suspects in 11 provinces, including Ankara, Antalya, Aydin, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Kahramanmaras, Kirsehir, Kilis, and Mersin.
Officials also seized a number of properties, seven safe deposit boxes, assets and bank accounts of the group’s members and executives, as well as accounts of 16 companies owned by the individuals.
Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining suspects, the source said.
* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur