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A Turkish-German national described by authorities as the leader of an organized crime group was ordered arrested on Wednesday following his detention at an airport in western Türkiye.
Coşkun Necati Arabaci was taken into custody by the Izmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office after being apprehended at Adnan Menderes Airport, where he arrived from Belgrade, Serbia, on Oct. 5. Following the completion of police procedures, a magistrate judge ordered him held pending further legal proceedings.
Arabaci, 53, faces charges including "establishing an organization to commit crimes" and "aggravated extortion," according to the prosecutor's office. Officers from the Organized Crime Unit of the Provincial Police Department conducted the arrest after identifying his arrival from the Serbian capital.
The case marks the latest legal trouble for Arabaci, who has been associated with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and has a lengthy criminal history spanning multiple countries.
Born in Cologne, Germany, in 1972 to parents of Turkish origin, Arabaci was convicted in 2004 by German courts and sentenced to nine years in prison on charges including leading a criminal organization, human trafficking, forced prostitution and robbery. He served approximately three years before being deported to Türkiye in 2007 under the condition he not return to Germany.
German authorities in 2002 had arrested Arabaci after investigations into his alleged control of multiple establishments in the country's red-light districts, including locations in Cologne, Frankfurt and the Ruhr region. During his imprisonment in Bochum, he was suspected of plotting against the prosecutor in his case, though those allegations were not pursued.
Following his deportation, Arabaci reportedly opened entertainment venues in Turkish coastal resort areas including Cesme, Bodrum and Kusadasi. In 2010, he was identified as president of "Hells Angels MC Nomads Türkiye."
Spanish authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 2015, valid throughout the European Union, on accusations including membership in a criminal organization, extortion, drug trafficking and involvement in brothels in Spain. Türkiye does not extradite its own citizens.
Most recently, Arabaci was detained in Slovakia on Sept. 9 following a notice issued by German authorities through the Schengen Information System. He was released on condition he leave Slovakia within 30 days, which led to his travel through Belgrade before arriving in Izmir.
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, founded in 1948, operates in 32 countries and has been banned in the Netherlands. The organization has long faced scrutiny from law enforcement agencies across Europe and North America.
Arabaci's arrest comes two years after he attended a 2023 event for Ayhan Bora Kaplan, who was subsequently sentenced to 68 years in prison for leading an armed criminal organization.
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