Turkish gang leader caught in Athens
ISTANBUL
Greek authorities have captured the leader of a Turkish gang, which extorted car dealerships and gas stations in a Turkish city, in the capital Athens.
Known as “Glock,” Sercan Sayal, who was wanted on a red notice, had reportedly been orchestrating the gang's operations from abroad.
The gang led by Sayal allegedly demanded money from businesses in the western Turkish city of İzmir, targeting car galleries and fuel stations. Those who refused to pay were attacked by gunmen on motorcycles.
The first major operation against the gang took place in June of last year. Raids in the several districts of the western province led to the detention of 18 suspects, while a total of 13 of them were later arrested by court order.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya had announced that the raids resulted in the seizure of 13 unlicensed pistols, one automatic rifle and three unlicensed shotguns. At the time, it was noted that Sayal had fled abroad.
Following a tip that Sayal was managing the gang from Greece, Greek police launched a raid on a luxury yacht docked at a marina in Athens last week. According to Turkish daily Sabah, Sayal, wanted for 13 separate crimes, was taken into custody during the operation.
The Turkish Justice Ministry has initiated proceedings for his extradition.
Last month, another Turkish crime ring executive named Fatih Uzunyayla, a key figure in the notorious organized crime group, Dalton, was also arrested in Greece.
Uzunyayla had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment plus 39 years for ordering a deadly armed attack on a cafe in Istanbul in 2021, which left two people dead. Authorities also determined his involvement in a recent shooting in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, where a Turkish national was killed and another seriously injured.
