A key figure in the Turkish criminal organisation known as the “Daltons” was arrested yesterday at noon in Thessaloniki by the Northern Greece Anti-Organised Crime Sub-Directorate.
According to the Organised Crime Division and the National Intelligence Service (EYP), the 49-year old man wanted by Interpol had been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Istanbul High Criminal Court for involvement in an extortion scheme. This included forcing debtors to repay creditors through threats and violence, as well as kidnapping and grievous bodily harm.
He is now facing extradition to Turkey to serve the remaining 15 years and 10 months of his sentence. He denies the charges, claiming political prosecution.
He will remain in custody until the Judicial Council issues its decision on his extradition.
The Turkish criminal organisation the “Daltons” have also been linked to several crimes in Greece, including the shooting at a Thessaloniki intercity bus depot in February this year and the killing of six men in Loutsa near Athens in September 2023.