Turkish criminal gangs and networks are among the ‘most threatening’ in Europe, engaging in smuggling, drug trafficking and other illegal activity across the continent, according to a new report from the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
“Turkish key members often form the core of criminal networks with Belgian, Dutch and German criminals,” according to the report by the pan-European law enforcement network. “These networks engage mainly in drug trafficking (cocaine and cannabis) and money laundering.”
In particular, Turkish criminal networks are identified as playing a leading role in both the trafficking of cannabis and the poly-drug trade, benefiting from their links within and outside the European Union and Turkey’s strategic location. Given this location, Turkey is also a key site for migrant smuggling, which delivers large profits for Turkish criminal networks while also providing the country’s authorities with a useful political tool to pressure the EU.
Likewise, from outside of the EU then Turkish criminal networks engage in telephone scans, remotely targeting victims on European soil. “Call centres play an important role in these schemes, targeting specific categories of victims such as elderly people,” Europol report. Another site of criminality where Turkish networks play a leading role is in the manufacture of illegal, privately manufactured firearms, commonly “believed to be manufactured outside of the EU, often in Turkey, and then trafficked to EU Member States by Turkish criminal networks,” according to Europol.
The report therefore details ways in which Turkish criminal networks are able to reap profits from targeting victim within the EU, and exert a transnational influence even though Turkey is not a member of the geopolitical union. With their new research, Europol say they aim to “single out the 821 most threatening criminal networks operating in the EU. Their 25 000 members commit crimes for profit and are capable of operating in multiple countries simultaneously, impacting the lives of millions of EU citizens.”
The report dovetails with previous research highlighting the scale of organised criminality within Turkey itself. The Global Organised Crime Index 2023 identified Turkey as the country with the highest organised crime index in Europe. The report underscored Turkey’s alarming ascent in organised crime rankings, particularly spotlighting an escalating role in global cocaine trafficking. Opioids trade is also a major factor, with the global anti-crime initiative identifying the Turkish–Bulgarian corridor as “arguably the major transit point for heroin in Europe”, which hosts one of the largest consumer markets.
Globally, Turkey ranks 14th on the organised crime index. International criminal networks exploit Turkey as a pivotal transit point between producers in South America and markets in both Europe and the Middle East. The findings echo a prevalent narrative in Turkey’s entrenched issues of state-linked criminal actors and human trafficking, further exacerbated by the illicit drug trade, prominently cocaine.
In terms of leadership and governance, government transparency and accountability in Turkey is described as low by the Index, with increasing allegations of corruption, nepotism and bribery in major public tenders, especially in the wake of a financial crisis.
The Crime Index also notes that while Turkey has extradition treaties with several countries, there are serious concerns about the Turkish government’s use of extradition procedures and requests. It also highlighted that in recent years, Turkey has made an increasing number of requests to INTERPOL for politically motivated red notices, targeting journalists, activists and political opponents living abroad.
