Armenia extradites two wanted criminals to Türkiye following Interpol red notices PHOTO/VIDEO

Armenia has extradited two individuals wanted by Türkiye for their involvement in organized criminal activities, according to the Turkish Interior Ministry.

The two extradited individuals, identified as Ercan Yılmaz and İbrahim Kaymak, had been long sought by Turkish authorities for their roles in organized crime, Caliber.Az reports via a Turkish state media outlet.

🟥Kırmızı Bültenle aranan organize suç örgütü elebaşı Ercan Yılmaz ve
🟥Kırmızı Bültenle aranan örgüt üyesi İbrahim Kaymak Ermenistan ile başlatılan görüşmeler sonucu Kahraman Türk Polisimiz tarafından Türkiye’ye getirildi.

Ercan Yılmaz:
15 yıldır, 43 yakalama emri ile ulusal… pic.twitter.com/a8uVVclUW2

— T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (@TC_icisleri) January 19, 2025

Yılmaz, described as the ringleader of a criminal organization with ties to the Barış Boyun network, had been wanted for 15 years on 43 national arrest warrants and for 14 years under an Interpol red notice. Similarly, Kaymak, a member of a criminal organization, faced 10 national arrest warrants over six years and was the subject of an international red notice for one year.

According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, the extradition followed meticulous coordination between Türkiye's Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and various police departments, including Interpol-Europol, the Intelligence Department, and the Presidency of Combating Smuggling and Organized Crimes. Negotiations with Armenia also played a crucial role, with the Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia, Tigran Dadunts, facilitating the process.

"Today, both individuals were brought to our country to face justice for the crimes they committed," the statement read. The Ministry further emphasized its commitment to combating organized crime beyond national borders, vowing to bring criminal figures to justice.

Notably, between June 4, 2023, and January 10, 2025, a total of 760 individuals with red notices, diffusion alerts, or search records were apprehended in Türkiye. Of these, 242 were extradited to Türkiye from abroad, underscoring the country’s intensified efforts to address international crime networks.

By Khagan Isayev