Police hold anti-organized crime op ‘Mucilage’

ISTANBUL – Demirören News Agency

Turkish police conducted simultaneous operations early on May 26 against some 13 crime syndicates operating in 16 provinces on shorelines around the country, the Interior Ministry has announced.

The operation was named “Mucilage,” a reference to a thick and slimy substance composed of compounds released by marine organisms that surfaced on the Marmara Sea in May 2021 and invaded a large area the following June.

Many media outlets headlined, “Shorelines cleaned of mucilage,” after the operation.

According to security officials, arrest warrants were issued for more than 300 suspects accused of “forming crime syndicates,” “threat,” “blackmail” and “possessing weapons illegally.”

The Interior Ministry also published a map showing that the operations were held in five Black Sea provinces, five northwestern provinces, three Aegean provinces and three southern provinces.

In Istanbul, police raided a number of houses in the districts of Esenyurt, Bayrampaşa, Fatih and Eyüpsultan and seized around 20 weapons and loads of ammunition.