Turkish organized crime leader Varish Boyoyan has been arrested in Italy, near Rome. He is considered one of the most wanted criminals in his homeland, involved in various crimes including smuggling, murder, and weapons trafficking. Boyoyan had already been arrested in Italy in 2022, following an international arrest warrant issued by the Istanbul court.

It is noteworthy that Boyoyan, who is known for his involvement in the organization of an armed gang, terrorist activities, and the sale of drugs, had already been arrested in Italy. However, the Italian courts rejected Turkey’s extradition request in 2023, citing doubts about his fair trial and the possibility that Boyoyan could be subjected to torture in his homeland. As the La Repubblica newspaper writes, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received a personal request from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extradite the criminal, and could have participated in the illegal activities of Turkish intelligence, as well as Interpol representatives.

During the wide-scale operation, which took place in various parts of Italy, including the island of Sicily, 18 members of the Turkish organized crime group were arrested. As Radio-1 notes, Boyoyan was arrested at his residence in Viterbo (60 kilometers from Rome).