Internationally wanted ‘King of Cocaine’ arrested in Turkey
On Friday, Turkish authorities arrested Dritan Rexhepi, also known as the “King of Cocaine”, in a major operation at a luxury villa in Istanbul. The operation, codenamed “Operation Kartell”, was carried out in cooperation with Italian and Albanian authorities, and aimed to apprehend the notorious drug lord.
Rexhepi, 43, was wanted by Interpol and is the leader of the international drug cartel Kompania Bello, responsible for transporting large quantities of drugs from South America to Europe. The Albanian national is also accused of murder and kidnapping in addition to drug smuggling.
Inside the villa, police discovered large amounts of cash, jewelry, watches, and weapons, further adding to the evidence against Rexhepi.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed his determination to rid the country of national and international criminal organizations and drug dealers, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in achieving this goal. He credited the Italian intelligence service for their assistance in locating Rexhepi, who had entered the country using a fake Colombian passport and had been under surveillance since his arrival.
In a tweet, Yerlikaya commended the efforts of the authorities involved in the operation and reiterated the government’s commitment to combating criminal activities.
The arrest comes just a week after the apprehension of Swedish national Maxilian Rivkin in Turkey, who was also internationally wanted for criminal charges. These recent arrests highlight Turkey’s proactive stance in pursuing and arresting individuals involved in transnational criminal activities.