Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office

Authorities have foiled smuggling attempts worth more than 1 billion Turkish Liras in several cities, including Istanbul, seizing counterfeit currency and leading to several arrests.

Police forces detained a former lawmaker from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Ahmet Tevfik Uzun, early on May 8 in the southern province of Mersin over suspected links to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

Teams carried out searches in Uzun's house and office, during which documents were seized.

Police in the southern province of Mersin have detained nine suspected militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after receiving intelligence that the jihadist group ordered its followers to carry out attacks on ballot boxes set for the April 16 referendum, which will decide whether the current parliamentary system should be shifted into an executive presidency.