A significant moment unfolded in Barcelona this summer when the leader of an Ottoman crime ring was arrested after authorities discovered a cache of high-grade weaponry in his vehicle trunk. The items included a Glock 19, commonly used by police, a Beretta 92, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, plus ammunition, balaclavas, and silencers. The arrest occurred in July after a car chase along Vallcarca Avenue ended on República Argentina Street when the Glock-wielding occupant was stopped by Guardia Urbana officers.
Investigations by the Mossos d’Esquadra revealed the man’s connections were more than local: Turkish authorities had issued an extradition request, accusing him of leading a criminal gang and facing a possible life sentence back home. On August 25, Catalan police located and re-arrested him in Barcelona’s Gràcia district, accompanied by three others, one of whom was also found armed.
This incident is not isolated. Last year, health threats stemming from Turkish gang infighting surfaced when Tekin Kartal, identified by law enforcement as a prominent Turkish criminal affiliated with the Baybasin clan, was shot dead in a downtown Barcelona restaurant, part of what appears to be a transnational vendetta.
Further afield, rival Turkish mafias have spilled over into Spain’s tourist zones. In August, a gang boss from the ‘Daltons’ gang was assassinated in Torrevieja, reportedly by the rival ‘Caspers’ clan – marking yet another flashpoint in this growing underworld conflict.
Spanish authorities are increasingly alert to the influence of Turkish organised crime, a complex web known for narcotics smuggling, arms trafficking, and violent rivalries. Catalonia’s experience is a vivid reminder: these factions now operate in broad daylight, posing a real challenge to regional security.
