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Greek authorities arrested seven Turkish nationals and detained 12 others for questioning in a major police operation targeting suspected members of Turkish organized crime groups operating on Greek territory.
The coordinated raids, conducted Friday across Athens, Thessaloniki, and Halkidiki, resulted in the capture of a high-ranking member of the Duran gang, a Turkish criminal organization recently connected to a shooting incident involving Greek intelligence officers in Thessaloniki.
The most significant arrest involved a 31-year-old Turkish man, identified by authorities only as A.K., who was apprehended at a residence in Halkidiki. Greek police confirmed the suspect is wanted in Türkiye under five separate arrest warrants and faces extradition proceedings for charges including abduction, property damage, physical assault, weapons trafficking and possession, and threats with a firearm.
A second Turkish national, aged 42, was arrested at a home in Palaio Faliro, a northern Athens suburb, in connection with a Red Notice issued by Turkish authorities for a homicide case.
Greece's Organized Crime Division, commonly known as the "Greek FBI," led the operation based on intelligence regarding the movements of Turkish organized crime figures within Greek borders.
During the raids, police executed nine house searches across the three regions. Officers discovered five suspects together at a central Athens residence, where they seized small quantities of raw cannabis and a folding knife as evidence.
The 31-year-old suspect has been transferred to Diavata Prison in Thessaloniki under a Temporary Detention Order issued by the Thessaloniki Court of Appeals. Turkish authorities are pursuing his extradition to face the multiple charges, all of which constitute criminal offenses under Greek law.
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