21 migrant smugglers apprehended: Minister

A total of 21 migrant smugglers have been apprehended during separate operations conducted in the Central Anatolian province of Kırklareli and the southern province of Muğla, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has informed.

Kırklareli gendarmerie, which had been monitoring the activities of migrant smuggling organizers in the region, collaborated with the Coast Guard Command and border units to carry out a series of five operations.

During the operations, nine members of an organized crime group, including its leader, were captured. While six were arrested, the remaining three were placed under judicial control.

In a separate operation led by Muğla gendarmerie, intelligence work led to the capture of nine suspected migrant smuggling organizers. The operation was carried out jointly with the Coast Guard Command. The arrested suspects are currently undergoing judicial proceedings.

The minister emphasized commitment to their "relentless fight" against irregular migration and the criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling.

Meanwhile, a raid on a house in the southern province of Adana's Yüreğir district resulted in the arrest of three individuals suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants. The suspects, identified only by initials Yunus H., Muhammed H. and Hasan Z., were allegedly involved in smuggling illegal immigrants into Türkiye for a fee of $1,500 per person.

Adana police apprehended a group of 20 illegal immigrants of Syrian nationality after identifying their whereabouts. The detained Syrians were subsequently handed over to the provincial immigration administration.