Swiss police warn of rising violence as Turkish mafia expands

The Turkish mafia is on "the rise", Fedpol boss Eva Wildi-Cortés told Swiss public television, SRF, on Sunday. Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

Drugs, human trafficking and the increasing use of violence: the Turkish mafia is on the rise in Switzerland, according to the head of the Swiss Federal Office of Police, Eva Wildi-Cortés.

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The Turkish mafia is involved in drug trafficking and human smuggling, as well as illegal gambling and telephone fraud. The group has been spreading from Germany into Switzerland, Fedpol boss Eva Wildi-Cortés told Swiss public television, SRF, on Sunday. “We are seeing that the Turkish mafia is on the rise.”

This group has a high potential for violence, as there has been a generational shift within the organisation. “And we are seeing that the new generation is much more prone to violence and settles its rivalries with weapons,” said Wildi-Cortés, adding that shootings in the streets are also being observed in Germany.

Open violence between rival criminal groups is also becoming more frequent in Switzerland. “The drug trade is a lucrative business, and as long as everyone is earning enough, things are relatively calm,” she said.

Over 800 different such groups are active in Europe, including in Switzerland – leading to turf wars. “It’s worrying that the potential for violence is increasing.”

Switzerland acts as a transit and transshipment point, but also as a destination country, in the global drug trade. In the fight against drug trafficking, it is not enough to simply confiscate drugs.

“We have to uncover the networks behind them,” the police boss said. Fedpol traces the flow of money and tries to curb money laundering.

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The drug trade is a lucrative business, and as long as everyone earns enough, it remains relatively quiet.

However, according to the European police agency Europol, only about 2% of the proceeds from organised crime are seized. The vast majority is likely laundered and funneled into the legitimate economy. According to Fedpol, these figures also apply to Switzerland.

Adapted from German by DeepL/sb

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