Police on Monday detained two fugitives wanted as part of an investigation into the alleged Alihan Kuriş criminal organization as they were preparing to flee the country, authorities said, as a separate branch of the widening probe revisited the suspicious 2016 death of former religious community leader Ahmet Arif Denizolgun.
Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz, who were wanted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, were located in the Bozburun area of the southwestern resort town of Marmaris, according to information obtained from security sources.
Police determined that the two suspects were allegedly planning to leave Türkiye by sea. Acting on intelligence provided by Istanbul police, officers in Muğla raided the address and detained the suspects on accusations of membership in a criminal organization.
Police seized 58,000 euros (nearly $68,000) during a search of their vehicle.
Authorities had previously seized 206 kilograms of gold and a large amount of foreign currency during a search of a warehouse at a business center housing a company where Hilmi Tuna Kuriş had served for years as a board member.
