Turkey arrests 234 in major drug-trafficking crackdown with EU support

(Reuters): Turkish authorities arrested 234 people in an operation coordinated with four European countries against criminal drug-trafficking organisations, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday.

"We have detained 234 high-level crime organisation leaders, 225 from inside Turkey and nine from abroad," Yerlikaya said, adding 10 of the suspects were sought with Interpol red notices.

Speaking in Ankara, he said those detained had been sought for crimes including international drug trafficking, money laundering, homicide, kidnapping, threats and blackmail.

Police in Belgium, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Turkey carried out coordinated operations, Yerlikaya said, adding the detainees were suspected of involvement in a scheme producing and trafficking cocaine, heroin, and other drugs.

The operation seized hundreds of properties, vehicles, company stakes and bank accounts with a value totalling 13 billion lira ($341 million), he said.

Turkish police worked for eight months with the European Union's Europol agency to map out and decipher the organisation's secrets, contacts and methods, he added.