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Minister Çiftçi Announces Increase in Operations Against Organized Crime and Drugs
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi shared updated data on the number of operations targeting organized crime, smuggling, and drugs during a meeting in Ankara. Çiftçi stated that both the number of operations and the amount of seized drugs have increased compared to last year in the first five months of this year.
Comparing data on criminal organizations and drugs between January-May 2025 and the same period in 2026, Minister Çiftçi said, "Last year, a total of 21,681 operations were conducted in the fight against drugs and narcotic crimes. 18,884 people were arrested, and 10,484 were released under judicial control. This year, we see that our operations have increased again.
As a result of 22,025 operations, there are 19,904 detainees and 9,540 released under judicial control," he added. Providing information about operations against organized crime gangs, Minister Çiftçi stated, "Last year, 836 operations were carried out against 337 organized crime gangs.
This year, between January 1 and May 31, 952 operations have been conducted against 382 organized crime gangs," he said. Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi attended the second consultation and evaluation meeting with deputies in Ankara.
Coordinated by Group Deputy Chairman Muhammet Emin Akbaşoğlu, Minister Çiftçi met with AK Party deputies and listened to the problems they face in their regions. He shared updated data and figures regarding recent efforts by the Ministry of Interior.
INSPIRED BY CARTOON CHARACTERS Minister Çiftçi commented on the new generation of organized crime groups, saying, "These recently emerged criminal organizations take inspiration from cartoon characters, adopting various nicknames and operating under them."
LOW AVERAGE AGE OF NEW GENERATION CRIMINAL GROUPS Highlighting that these new generation groups heavily use social media and the internet, Minister Çiftçi said, "They generally conduct their activities through social media and post their ads there. They use digital platforms for their criminal income and recruit members via social media. Apart from the top management, their organizational ties are quite weak.
They can hire a single operative for an action. They do not have a known central structure. They do not feel bound by any ethics, principles, codes, or morals. Their average age is quite low, and they aim to get rich quickly," he added.
LOW EDUCATION LEVELS PREFERRED Minister Çiftçi described the structural characteristics of these groups: "They select operatives who have weak family ties, criminal records, and generally low education levels. Their dressing and lifestyle have changed. They seek publicity and showiness. Their methods have changed, as I mentioned earlier. They find disposable operatives and carry out actions through them.
They use foreign GSM lines. They make enemies quickly and sometimes even clash among themselves," he said.
WORKING ON FINANCING OF CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Minister Çiftçi informed that efforts are underway for digital tracking and analysis in the fight against criminal organizations: "To fight them effectively, operations need to be increased and continued. These groups must be classified and a digital archive created. Tracking their criminal income is also important.
Our work on fugitives abroad continues with bulletins. Social media activities are monitored, enabling tracking and decoding. To end the existence of criminal organizations, we are actively pursuing the identification and tracking of their income and financial sources," he stated.
952 OPERATIONS AGAINST ORGANIZED CRIME GANGS Sharing numerical data on operations against criminal organizations, Minister Çiftçi said, "Last year, 836 operations were conducted against 337 organized crime gangs. Sometimes multiple operations are carried out against a single gang, which explains the numbers.
Between January 1 and May 31 this year, 952 operations have been conducted against 382 organized crime gangs. These gangs also differ in their characteristics," he added. PREVENTING 3.393 BILLION TAX LOSS FROM SMUGGLING Minister Çiftçi also shared data on anti-smuggling efforts: "Operations by KOM, narcotics, and cyber organized crime gangs increased from 836 last year to 932 this year.
While 15,028 operations were conducted against smuggling crimes last year, this number rose to 18,524 this year. These operations resulted in 21,467 detentions, 591 arrests, and 885 releases under judicial control. Both detentions and arrests have increased this year.
As a result, last year 3.393 billion Turkish Lira in tax losses were prevented, and this year 3.032 billion Lira in tax losses have been prevented," he said. ONE-THIRD OF PRISONERS ARE CONVICTED FOR DRUG CRIMES Minister Çiftçi shared data on the fight against drugs, covering operation numbers and quantities seized.
"Last year, 21,681 operations were conducted against drugs and narcotic crimes. This resulted in 18,884 arrests and 10,484 releases under judicial control. This year, operations have increased again. Following 22,025 operations, there are 19,904 detainees and 9,540 released under judicial control.
Currently, there are approximately 300,000 prisoners, and nearly one-third of them are convicted for drug-related crimes," he said.
20 TONS OF DRUGS SEIZED IN FIRST FIVE MONTHS Minister Çiftçi evaluated the quantities seized in drug operations: "Last year, in the five-month period, 17.3 tons of drugs, 63 million pills, and 14.7 million cannabis plants and skunk were seized. This year, the amounts have increased further.
20.2 tons of drugs and 69 million pills were seized during operations," he stated. 64,324 REPORTS THROUGH NARVAS APP Minister Çiftçi provided information about the NARVAS app: "Citizens can report through the NARVAS app.
Last year, 60,748 reports were made via NARVAS, and this year, 64,324 reports have been received regarding the fight against drug crimes," he said. On drug-related deaths and international data, Minister Çiftçi said, "Since 2016, the number of deaths directly related to substances was 920. The numbers declined over the years.
From 941 to 657, then 427 in 2024, and 437 in 2025. As you can see, there was a stable trend between 2019 and 2023, but it has started to rise again since 2023," he explained.
Sharing data on young age groups, Minister Çiftçi said, "For ages 15-18, substance-related deaths were 27 in 2016, then declined to 1 by 2025."
Referring to international reports, he added, "Looking at the prevalence of substance use in the general population, these statistics are mostly from international reports. The latest global report was published in 2023. Among people aged 15 to 64, 316 million reported having used substances at least once.
In Europe, this rate is 29%, while Turkey's latest reported rate from 2018 is 3.1%." MULTIFACETED DRUG PREVENTION EDUCATION REACHED 37 MILLION Minister Çiftçi emphasized the multidimensional nature of the fight against drugs: "All units of our ministries continue their determined efforts.
This is not a struggle that can be won by law enforcement alone. Families, NGOs, and other state institutions have responsibilities. We believe success can be achieved through a comprehensive effort.
Thanks to the training, awareness, and consciousness-raising activities by law enforcement, 3 million people have been reached this year; in total, 37 million citizens have been reached through all education and prevention projects to date," he concluded.
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