The Italian authorities have dealt a major blow to the Turkish mafia. Milan’s public prosecutor’s office had 18 people arrested. The group was likely led by one of Turkey’s most wanted men.
The Public Prosecution Service in Milan has dismantled a criminal network with an arrest warrant for 18 people of Turkish descent living in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Turkey.
The detainees are accused of being members of an armed gang pursuing terrorist purposes, investigators said on Wednesday. The group was led by suspected Turkish mafia boss Baris Boyun, one of Ankara’s most wanted men.
Hundreds of police officers were involved
They are also accused of possession of weapons and explosives, international drug trafficking, murder and aiding and abetting illegal immigration. Hundreds of police officers from Switzerland and Italy were involved in the raid. The investigation began in October 2023 after three members of the organization were arrested while trying to enter Switzerland.
Two pistols, ammunition and propaganda material were seized. The subsequent investigation revealed that the three were accompanying their leader, 39-year-old Boyun, and his partner, who were traveling in another car. An arrest warrant was also issued for the couple.
Boyun coordinated despite the ankle monitor
Investigators determined that Boyun continued to direct and coordinate his network, which operated across Europe from a home in Crotone, southern Italy, where he was under house arrest and wearing an electronic ankle bracelet for arms trafficking. He is said to have organized the illegal entry of migrants through the Balkan countries and terrorist crimes in Europe.
In Turkey, Boyun is said to have been the ‘mastermind’ of the planned attack on an aluminum factory, which was foiled thanks to the exchange of information between the Italian and Turkish police. Boyun had weapons with high firepower and a lot of money, mainly from the drug trade, but also from cigarette and drug smuggling, investigators said.
Source: Krone
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