Minister Çiftçi heads to Georgia as Turkey expands cross-border crackdown on criminal networks

Turkey is turning its pursuit of organized-crime leaders who fled abroad into a broader cross-border campaign, with Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi preparing to visit Georgia.

In Tbilisi, Çiftçi will hold senior-level talks with his Georgian counterpart. The agenda will focus on the overseas logistical and financial networks of criminal organizations, as well as drug trafficking. The two sides are expected to discuss joint mechanisms for combating criminal groups and drug dealers outside Turkey’s borders.

The Turkish Interior Ministry says extradition efforts have accelerated since Çiftçi took office. In one recent week, four leaders of organized-crime groups were extradited to Turkey from three different countries. The ministry cited coordinated contacts involving Argentina, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Turkey also plans to widen an existing regional security mechanism. Meetings between Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece have addressed cross-border crime, and Georgia is expected to join the cooperation framework. The ministry says it will continue diplomatic contacts and operational partnerships abroad to dismantle criminal networks linked to Turkey.