Australian National Review – Turkish organized crime is expanding in Europe thanks to the diversification of the drug trade

News analysis

Turkish organized crime is expanding its activities across Europe, especially in countries with large Turkish and Kurdish minorities, and has diversified from heroin trafficking to cocaine, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs.

Mahmut Cengiz, associate professor at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center at George Mason University in Virginia, told The Epoch Times: “The two high-profile murders are important because they point to a disturbing trend of escalating violence among Turkish organized crime . groups throughout Europe.”

On May 4, Ilmettin Aytekin, a Turkish mafia boss known as “Tekin Kartal” (Tekin the Eagle), was shot dead in broad daylight outside a restaurant in Barcelona after a meeting with Abdullah Baybaşin.

Baybaşin, the head of a notorious crime family, pleaded guilty to drug importation in a British court in 2006, but his conviction was later overturned and he was deported to Turkey.

Both men are believed to have links to a Hackney-based gang called the Bombacilar (Bombers).

Eren was captured in Moldova in 2022 and was due to be extradited to Britain, but was released on bail by authorities in the capital Chisinau.

Cengiz said: “This pattern indicates that these gangs may be expanding their activities and conflicts beyond local borders, potentially impacting public safety in several cities.

“If these violent incidents continue, it could be a signal that Turkish organized crime is developing into a broader European issue, necessitating a coordinated response from law enforcement agencies in multiple countries.”

Ryan Gingeras, historian and author of Heroin, Organized Crime, and the Making of Modern Turkey said: “Turkey is increasingly integral to global illicit activities, whether it be drugs, human trafficking and money laundering.”

He told The Epoch Times: “The drug trade is diversifying and Turkey has been a model for this kind of diversification.

“Until the 1970s, Turkey was a source country for heroin. Since then it has developed into a transit stop for opiates.

“The more recent trend appears to point to the development of a domestic synthetic narcotics industry catering to domestic and foreign markets.”

Heroin for Cocaine Swap

A convicted criminal from London’s Turkish community told The Epoch Times that a deal was struck a decade ago for Mexican and Turkish gangs to swap consignments of heroin and cocaine at the port of Rotterdam.

Fearing retaliation, he asked to be identified by the pseudonym Ümit Ceyhan.

He said: “We (Turks) control heroin, and the Mexican cartels control cocaine, but when they get to Rotterdam it’s like the Spitalfield fruit and vegetable market, people taking orders for two pallets of this or that.

“Because heroin is expensive in America, and cocaine is expensive in Europe, they decided to swap them, so now the cartels can sell heroin there and the Turks have access to cocaine in Europe.

“Recently, significant amounts of cocaine have been imported into Turkey from Latin America.

“Well-connected Turkish transnational groups in Europe have collaborated with Mexican cartels to use Turkey as an alternative route for their drug trafficking.”

Cengiz pointed out that the ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands had seen record levels of annual cocaine seizures: 66 tonnes (72 tonnes) and 33 tonnes (36 tonnes) respectively.

He said Turkish mafia groups also smuggled methamphetamine from Iran and were involved in human trafficking, using similar routes through the Balkans.

Bodrum connection

Ceyhan told The Epoch Times that much of the heroin entering Britain was controlled from the popular Mediterranean resort of Bodrum, Turkey, with much of the money returning to the city to pay for new restaurants, hotels and nightclubs.

During Koray Alpergin’s murder trial, prosecutor Crispin Aylett said Tottenham’s Turks were responsible for his death but that two key figures, Cem Orman and Ali Yildirim, had fled to Turkey where they were believed to be hiding.

Ceyhan said Orman, Yildirim and Izzet Eren’s cousin Kemal Eren, who was now the boss of the Tottenham Turks, must all have paid for protection from politicians in Turkey.

“In Turkey, nothing happens without money, and if Kemal Eren is not extradited, he will have to pay good compensation every year,” Ceyhan told The Epoch Times.

He said corruption in Turkey was widespread and dated back to the 1980s.

Ağar denied any wrongdoing.

‘Rampant corruption’ in Turkey

Cengiz said: “Rampant corruption within the Turkish government has opened doors to cocaine trafficking organizations.

“Since the beginning of 2010, numerous military personnel, police, judges, prosecutors, customs officials and government members have been involved in drug trafficking.”

“Both the Tottenham Turks and the Hackney Bombacilar have shown signs of expanding beyond Britain. Over the years, there have been reports suggesting their involvement in international drug trafficking and organized crime networks,” Cengiz told The Epoch Times.

“They have established links with other Turkish criminal groups in Europe, especially in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, which have significant Turkish populations.

“Law enforcement agencies have noted their influence in the broader Turkish organized crime scene, indicating that they have become part of a larger network operating across borders.”

Cengiz and Ceyhan agree that Germany and the Netherlands are the key to Turkish organized crime.

“Despite Germany being home to the largest Turkish population outside Turkey, Turkish organized crime is often under-reported,” Cengiz said.

“Although significant organized crime groups operate in the country, especially those involved in the heroin trade, their activities do not always attract media attention due to a combination of cultural factors and legal frameworks.”

‘Underreported’

Ceyhan put it more bluntly, saying: “The German government wants under-reporting, so there is no call for mass deportations.”

It is estimated that up to 3 million Germans are of Turkish or Kurdish descent, while 430,000 people originally from Turkey live in the Netherlands. About 250,000 live in Britain.

Cengiz said Turkish organized crime groups are major players in the heroin market and use Germany as a major transit country for heroin trafficking from Afghanistan and other countries to Europe.

“These groups have established sophisticated networks that facilitate the smuggling and distribution of heroin, often resulting in significant violence and rivalry between competing factions,” he said.

Cengiz said that when drug shipments by organized crime are intercepted by authorities, it is almost inevitable that blood will be shed.

Ceyhan said he believed this was the cause of Tekin Kartal’s death in Barcelona.

He said that “25 tons of cocaine were sent to Spain by the cartels, but 20 tons were seized.”

“The cartels said, ‘What about the remaining 5 tons?’ Baybasin stole it, but he blamed Tekin, who became the scapegoat. He was called to a meeting and the triggerman was lying in wait,” Ceyhan said.

The extensive tentacles of Turkish organized crime in Europe were underlined in May, when 17 people were arrested in Italy in connection with a series of murders across Europe.

Cengiz said the Italian arrests were important for several reasons.

“It underlines the growing reach of Turkish organized crime, especially the Dalton gang,” Cengiz said.

“This operation reflects a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies across Europe to tackle the growing influence of these gangs and their violent activities.”

Although no arrests have been made in connection with the Barcelona murder, one man has been charged in connection with the London shootings and will face trial next year.

In Moldova, the investigation into the murder of Izzet Eren has led to the arrest of a politician from a banned pro-Russian party and an extradition request to Britain for a former lawyer, Hassan Toper.

Toper was arrested at Stansted Airport in London on August 29 by officers from the national extradition unit of the National Crime Agency’s Joint International Crime Centre.

His arrest warrant was issued by Moldovan authorities for the death of Izzet Eren.

He is due to appear before magistrates in London again next month.

Ümit Ceyhan is not the real name of the interviewee. The Epoch Times gave him a pseudonym to conceal his identity for his protection.