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Türkiye has extradited organized crime leader Serkan Kurtulus from Argentina after years as an internationally wanted fugitive, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
Kurtulus was detained in Argentina under an Interpol red notice and was brought back to Türkiye following a coordinated operation involving Turkish security, intelligence, foreign affairs and justice authorities, according to the ministry.
The extradition was carried out through cooperation between the General Directorate of Security's Interpol-Europol Department, its Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Department and Intelligence Department, together with the Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry, the Interior Ministry said.
Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci welcomed the extradition in a social media post, declaring that fugitives cannot escape Turkish authorities by fleeing abroad.
"No matter where they run, they cannot escape our steel determination. Even if they flee to the other side of the world, we find crime bosses one by one, bring them back to our country and hand them over to the supreme Turkish justice," Ciftci wrote.
He added that people who believe they can escape prosecution by crossing Türkiye's borders would continue to be pursued by the state.
The case against Kurtulus includes charges of premeditated murder, intentional murder and establishing an organization for the purpose of committing crimes.
Turkish authorities also accuse him of involvement in armed robbery carried out by multiple people to benefit a criminal organization and repeated armed threats involving firearms.
Kurtulus was arrested by Argentine authorities in June 2020 after Interpol issued a red notice for him. He had sought asylum in Argentina while Turkish authorities pursued his extradition.
Argentine judicial authorities approved his extradition to Türkiye in December 2022, with Turkish authorities identifying him as the leader of an organized crime group. He and another Turkish suspect, Lider Camgoz, had been detained in Argentina with fake passports.
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