ISTANBUL, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkish authorities have detained 156 suspected migrant smugglers in operations carried out across 14 provinces over the past two weeks, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Saturday.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Yerlikaya said that 112 of the suspects were jailed, while judicial control measures were imposed on the remaining 44.
The operations were coordinated by the Gendarmerie General Command's Department for Combating Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking and involved both unmanned aerial surveillance and ground operations.
Yerlikaya said Türkiye has strengthened border security by using advanced technologies and enhanced monitoring systems, alongside firm operational and legal measures.
As a major transit and destination country, Türkiye has intensified efforts to curb irregular migration and break smuggling networks operating along key routes into Europe. ■