Turkey's 69-province smuggling sweep nets 494 suspects and tons of contraband

Turkish security forces carried out 402 operations across 69 provinces between October 15 and 24, 2026, targeting smuggling and organized crime. The General Directorate of Security's Smuggling and Organized Crime Department coordinated the effort with provincial police departments and chief public prosecutor's offices.

Officers detained 494 suspects during the sweep. Authorities arrested 18 of them and imposed judicial control measures on 29 others, while legal proceedings continued for the remaining detainees.

“The Interior Ministry announced that 18 of the 494 suspects were arrested and judicial control measures were applied to 29 others.”

Security forces seized large quantities of contraband, including 9,315 liters of fuel, 246,379 packs of cigarettes, and 18,094 liters of alcoholic beverages. They also confiscated 9,084,170 units of filled pasta, 2,943,323 units of empty pasta, and 27,874 units of puro.

Additional seizures included 4,982 kilograms of tobacco, 358,042 medicines, 384 mobile phones, 9,447 assorted electronic items, and 863 historical artifacts or coins.

Suspects were accused of smuggling goods into the country without customs procedures and distributing them, as well as producing and selling counterfeit or smuggled products in illegal workshops. The Interior Ministry announced the results in an official statement.

The operation covered provinces including Adana, Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, and Bingöl, among 69 provinces in total. Legal processes for the detained suspects remain ongoing.