Arms trafficking from Turkey to Europe! Europol announces the arrest of ten individuals involved.

Europol announced on Tuesday the arrest of ten individuals as part of an operation aimed at dismantling a network of counterfeit arms trafficking that supplied criminal groups in Europe. French authorities, with the support of Europol and the Swiss Federal Police, launched the investigation in June 2025, following the seizure of two counterfeit pistols in a luxury vehicle.

The investigation revealed a well-organized network, led by a Turkish-German suspect, which distributed weapons from Turkey into the European Union. Searches were conducted in cities such as Fréjus, Cannes, Nice, and Marseille, and assets worth over 1.2 million euros were confiscated.

Europol emphasized that counterfeit weapons pose an increasing threat, having characteristics similar to those of authentic weapons. Members of the network lived in luxury conditions in southern France, and the group's leader was arrested in Slovakia and subsequently extradited to Turkey. The investigation continues, with suspicions that he may have continued to coordinate the network's activities from prison.