The Milei government extradited the head of the Turkish mafia, Serkan Kurtulus, accused of 26 crimes

In an act of sovereignty and strict compliance with the law, the administration of President Javier Milei has decided to cleanse the national territory of the international mafias that flourished under the shadow of Kirchnerist guarantees. The Argentine Foreign Ministry formalized this morning the extradition of Serkan Kurtulus, the fearsome leader of a Turkish mafia organization who had been detained in the Ezeiza prison since 2020.

This administrative measure, which directly depends on the Executive Power, puts an end to years of judicial and bureaucratic delays where the criminal attempted, through various resources, to obtain a status of political refugee that was ultimately denied by the CONARE.

The record of Kurtulus is chilling and has been described by the media as "cinematic." The Third Criminal Court of Izmir, his hometown, requires him to answer for 26 criminal acts committed since 2016. Among the most serious charges he faces in Turkey are:

"Administering an armed criminal organization" dedicated to the transport and use of heavy firearms.

Using the "power to invoke fear" derived from a criminal organization to extort.

"International attempted murder with premeditation."

"Qualified deprivation of liberty" and "damage to property."

The story of Kurtulus in our country is a demonstration of the border laxity that characterized the previous administration. He was captured in June 2020, during strict confinement, along with his accomplice Lider Camgoz.

Both criminals had entered Argentina with fake passports from Colombia and were living in a luxurious tower in Puerto Madero, highlighting how organized crime found refuge in the most exclusive areas of the capital under the radar of the authorities at that time.

Despite their capture, the process dragged on for years due to constant claims of political persecution filed by their defense.

However, the judicial noose gradually tightened: the Supreme Court of Justice confirmed the admissibility of the extradition in a ruling on November 30, 2023, and in November 2025, the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation dealt a definitive blow to his asylum claims.

Faced with the imminence of his transfer, Kurtulus attempted one last desperate media maneuver, directing a personal plea to the current president:

"President, please don't send me to hell, save my life." In recent statements, the hitman stated: "I ask for refuge in Argentina because if I am extradited, they will kill me in Turkey. And I want to save my life. I want to live, not die."

The criminal justified his request with supposed revelations about the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claiming he witnessed shipments of war weapons to terrorist groups and that he was ordered to carry out high-profile assassinations, such as that of American pastor Andrew Brunson and opposition journalist Can Dündar.

In fact, in April 2023, Dündar visited his "repentant assassin" in the Ezeiza prison, a meeting he documented in the book "I Met My Assassin" and in a documentary to denounce the Turkish regime. Kurtulus even fantasized about a life in freedom in the country, assuring that his father would open a Turkish restaurant for him to manage.

However, the government of Javier Milei, committed to security and the rule of law, has not yielded to the victimization tactics of someone accused of leading an armed gang. As his own lawyer, Fabio Galante, stated after receiving the official notification from the Foreign Ministry this morning: "This is the end of the road."

Currently, the national government has already begun coordination with the Interpol office in Istanbul to organize the transfer operation. With this decision, Argentina reaffirms that institutions function and that the country will not be complicit with those who use fear and violence as a tool, reaffirming its alliance with nations that combat international organized crime.