13 March, 10:51
During a joint special operation, Ukrainian law enforcement officers detained Turkish citizen Ishak Arslan (born in 1978), who was internationally wanted at the request of the Federal Republic of Germany.
According to the arrest warrant issued by a German court, Arslan is suspected of involvement in a transnational organized criminal group allegedly engaged in large-scale trafficking of heroin, cocaine, and MDMA.
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (BKA), between March 2020 and February 2021, the suspect may have been involved in at least 12 drug trafficking incidents, including:
Purchase, storage, and sale of over 250 kg of heroin;
Organization of shipments of more than 1.2 million ecstasy (MDMA) tablets to Europe and Turkey;
Purchase of cocaine worth over €300,000;
Use of encrypted messengers EncroChat and SkyECC to coordinate operations.
The German investigation qualifies his actions under:
§29a(1) of the German Narcotics Act (BtMG),
§25(2) of the German Criminal Code (complicity in crimes), and
§53 (aggregation of offenses).
Legal Status in Ukraine
At the time of his arrest, Ishak Arslan was staying at the residence of Turkish citizen Selçuk Yoğurtçuoğlu, who, according to sources, also appears in Ukrainian investigative materials as a person possibly involved in harboring wanted individuals. A series of searches were conducted in Kyiv at properties linked to suspects involved in narcotrafficking.
Ukraine is currently conducting a pre-trial investigation under Part 3 of Article 307 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning Arslan’s possible involvement in the organized distribution of narcotics on Ukrainian territory. Investigators are considering the theory that the drugs may have been smuggled into the country disguised as humanitarian aid.
⚖️ Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, any person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court ruling established by law.
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