Police launch major operation at Istanbul racecourse, detentions reported

ISTANBUL

AA photo

Police launched a major operation early on Aug. 7, reportedly detaining a number of organized crime suspects at Istanbul’s Veliefendi Hippodrome in the Bakırköy district, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

A number of police units arrived at the site in the early hours of the morning to apprehend suspects reportedly involved in various organized crimes. The entrance and exit to the complex were blocked as police teams entered in an air-supported operation.

Anti-drug and organized crimes units conducted searches inside the barn and other parts of the complex in an operation that lasted around four hours.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Jockey Club (TJK) said in a statement that anti-drug and public security teams conducted wide-scale examinations to detain suspects. The club added that it supported such implementations by security forces, which are occasionally conducted.

There were some reports of suspects being detained during the operation but officials have yet to make a detailed statement.

No horseraces were scheduled for the day of the operation at the racecourse.