Overview
- Argentine authorities handed Serkan Kurtulus to a Turkish police delegation at Ezeiza airport on Friday, August 14, 2026, and he was flown to Turkey to face his existing life term.
- Kurtulus was detained in Buenos Aires on June 11, 2020 after entering Argentina in 2019 with a forged Panama passport and living in Puerto Madero with a close associate.
- He was convicted in Izmir for crimes carried out mainly in 2016–2017, including dozens of murders, kidnappings and organized‑crime offenses, and Turkish probes led to the arrest of about 54 network members and seizure of heavy weapons.
- The extradition followed a judicial approval by Juzgado Federal No. 8, executive authorization at the end of July 2026, and an operation coordinated by Migraciones, the Federal Penitentiary Service, the Federal Police and Interpol Ankara.
- Officials said the transfer reinforces Argentina’s stance against sheltering transnational criminals and could prompt more cooperation on fugitive returns while closing a long chapter for victims pursuing justice in Turkey.