20 suspects arrested in Istanbul-based organized crime investigation

The procedures at the police station for 35 suspects who were detained within the scope of the investigation carried out by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on charges of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", "prostitution", "obscenity" and "possession or purchasing of drugs for use" have been completed.

After the health check, the suspects were taken to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan.

One of the suspects was released after his statement at the prosecutor's office. It was decided to arrest 20 of the suspects who were referred to the criminal judgeship of peace, and to impose judicial control measures on 14 of them.

It was learned that an arrest warrant was issued for 13 fugitive suspects.

Statement of the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office

In the statement made by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that within the scope of the investigation carried out for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime", "prostitution", "obscenity" and "possession or purchasing of drugs for use", technical and physical follow-ups were carried out by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command and the KOM and Cyber branch directorates of the Istanbul Police Department, and witness statements and notices were evaluated.

In the statement, it was stated that within the scope of the investigation, evidence was obtained that children and underage youth who had not yet completed their physical, mental and spiritual development were guided on sexual orientation and gender identity, regardless of their age and development level.

In the statement, it was noted that the associations that were considered to carry out these activities, the individuals and groups that financed them, the individuals who were considered to be exploiting under the name of "paid social friendship service", and the businesses that were considered to provide an environment for illegal actions disguised as entertainment activities were identified, and it was reported that the operation was organized in line with the provisions of the relevant legislation, especially Article 41 of the Constitution, in order to prevent the normalization of activities in the eyes of society, for the best interest of children, to protect the family institution and the common moral values ​​of the society.

In the statement, in the Istanbul-based operation, search, capture and seizure were carried out at 38 addresses for 38 suspects, 20 in Istanbul, 4 in Ankara, 3 in Çanakkale, 2 in Izmir, 2 in Antalya, 1 in Ordu, 1 in Elazığ, 1 in Balıkesir, 1 in Aydın, 1 in Kırşehir, 1 in Iğdır and 1 in Hatay. was recorded to have been carried out.

In the statement, it was stated that an operation was carried out on 54 workplaces, houses and associations, including 10 businesses and 6 LGBTI+ associations operating in Istanbul, on September 12 and 13, and 25 grams of drugs and stimulants, 10 grams of cocaine, 9 grams of marijuana, 10 synthetic pills considered to be drugs, 7 syringes and needles, 2 thousand bottles of smuggled alcohol, 1 unlicensed gun, 5 camera recorders and 26 mobile phones were seized. was stated.

In the statement, it was reported that 26 suspects were detained within the scope of the operation and efforts were continuing to capture the others. In the statement, which stated that a business was sealed due to its activities contrary to its license, it was noted that the investigation was continuing in all its aspects. 9 more suspects were caught during the ongoing work within the scope of the operation.