16.01.2026 09:10
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that 155 organizers have been captured in the human smuggling operations carried out by the gendarmerie in 15 provinces over the last two weeks, and 50 of them have been arrested. While the smuggling network was revealed to extend from major cities to coastal provinces, 81 vehicles and 6 boats were seized during the operations.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that gendarmerie teams have conducted operations in 15 provinces over the past two weeks. Yerlikaya announced that 155 suspects, believed to be organizers of human smuggling, have been apprehended.
50 ARRESTS, 27 JUDICIAL CONTROLS
According to Minister Yerlikaya's statement, 50 of the apprehended suspects have been arrested. It was noted that judicial control measures have been applied to 27 suspects, while proceedings for the other suspects are ongoing.
SMUGGLING NETWORK EXTENDS FROM MAJOR CITIES TO COASTAL PROVINCES
As a result of coordinated efforts, it was stated that a human smuggling network extending from major cities to coastal provinces has been uncovered. The operations were reported to have been carried out in Aydın, Çanakkale, Edirne, Iğdır, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kars, Kırklareli, Kırşehir, Kocaeli, Muğla, Sakarya, Şanlıurfa, Tekirdağ, and Van.
81 VEHICLES AND 6 BOATS SEIZED
Yerlikaya conveyed that operations were conducted from the air with drones and on the ground with the support of gendarmerie commando units, coordinated by the Gendarmerie General Command's Department of Combating Human Smuggling and Trafficking. It was reported that 81 vehicles and 6 boats were seized during the operations.
"EFFECTIVE AND DETERRENT MECHANISMS ARE IN PLACE"
Minister Yerlikaya emphasized that the security aspect of migration management is shaped by effective efforts conducted within the framework of combating human trafficking, irregular migration, and human smuggling, based on the principles of the rule of law and respect for human rights. Stating that border security has been strengthened with advanced technology and monitoring-control systems, Yerlikaya expressed that strong, deterrent mechanisms are being implemented on the ground and in legal terms against structures that promote and organize illegal migration routes. Yerlikaya congratulated those involved in the operation.