Turkish gang's luxury cars worth £3m seized by police, given a new use. Watch

The Istanbul Police Department recently confiscated 23 luxury vehicles following a successful operation against several criminal organisations. The government has decided to repurpose the vehicles into police cars. The fleet comprises an Audi, Bentley, Mercedes, Range Rover, Porsche and more. Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of Interior of Turkey, shared a video of the seized cars and the police standing alongside them on X.

As he shared the video, in the caption of the post, he informed, "As a result of the successful operations carried out by our Istanbul Police Department against organised crime organisations, 23 vehicles were seized. Following the court decision, these vehicles were handed over to our police."

He further added, "From now on, these tools do not belong to criminal organisations. It will be at the disposal of our police and the service of our nation! I would like to thank each and every one of our heroic police officers who work tirelessly for the peace of our country. May our unity, solidarity and peace be eternal."

As per the Telegraph, these vehicles were seized after Hakan Ayik and 36 others were arrested on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. These siezed vehicles cost £3 million.

Watch the video shared by Ali Yerlikaya here:

This post was shared on 26 December. Since being shared, it has gained close to 3.6 million views. The share also has numerous likes and tons of comments. Many people were not happy with the Turkish government's decision to hand the vehicles to police.

Here's how people reacted to the post:

An individual wrote, "Dear Minister, our police forces and the great Turkish nation certainly deserve the best. However, the economic difficulties in our country are obvious. These vehicles could have been sold, and twice as many vehicles and income could have been brought to the public. Moreover, the fuel and the maintenance expenses of these vehicles will create a heavy burden on our state."

A second shared, "The court made the wrong decision again, and the high costs of these luxury vehicles will come out of the public's pocket. Wouldn't it be better, Mr Minister, to sell these vehicles, transfer the income to the treasury, and buy new, less costly vehicles for the police?"

A third commented, "Mr Minister, Of course, our police and security deserve much better than these. However, it is not right to evaluate some vehicles in this context. Vehicles such as Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley and Range Rover should be sold, and more vehicles needed by our police should be purchased."

"Dear Minister, unfortunately, this is a waste. One of these vehicles costs 3-4 TOGG. Not to mention maintenance costs and fuel. Wouldn't it be better if you sold them at tender and bought more of our national vehicle instead?" posted a fourth.