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Fourteen criminals wanted by Turkish authorities were captured in Georgia through a joint police operation, including 12 individuals sought under Interpol red notices and two wanted at the national level, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced Thursday.
The suspects were apprehended following extensive surveillance work to determine their locations in Georgia, according to Yerlikaya's statement on the Next Social platform.
"We caught 12 criminals we were seeking with red notices and 2 we were seeking at the national level through a joint operation with Georgian police," Yerlikaya said.
"After work conducted in Georgia and determining the location of the wanted individuals, the operation button was pressed. The 14 individuals our country was seeking were caught one by one in Georgia," he noted.
The Interior Minister confirmed that extradition procedures for the suspects to Türkiye have been initiated. The captured individuals face charges ranging from organized crime membership to murder, fraud, and child sexual abuse.
Among those captured were several individuals wanted on serious criminal charges:
Organized crime and violence: E.Y. and B.K., both sought membership in criminal organizations, attempted murder, attempted aggravated robbery, property damage, and illegal weapons possession.
Fraud cases: A.A. and E.O. were wanted for commercial fraud, while N.Y. and A.Y. faced fraud charges, and A.T.G. was sought nationally for aggravated fraud.
Violent crimes: C.B. was wanted for aggravated robbery, assault, drug possession and use, aggravated theft, and assault. O.E. faced charges for armed robbery at residences with multiple accomplices.
Murder cases: C.S. was sought for premeditated murder to conceal another crime or destroy evidence, C.S. for intentional murder, and U.B. was wanted nationally for intentional murder.
Other serious crimes: M.Y. was wanted for child sexual abuse, T.L. for theft, and A.G. and T.G. for establishing and membership in criminal organizations, respectively.
Yerlikaya expressed gratitude to multiple agencies involved in the operation, including the Georgian Interior Ministry, Georgian State Security Service, and Türkiye's General Directorate of Security's Interpol-Europol Department and Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department.
He emphasized the operation as "one of the concrete examples of close cooperation experience that has been ongoing for many years" between Turkish and Georgian law enforcement agencies.
The Interior Minister lastly issued a stern warning to other criminals seeking to evade Turkish justice abroad.
"No matter what notice they are wanted under, no matter which country they have fled to, they cannot escape from Turkish police," Yerlikaya stated.
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