Barons and child hitmen
On October 6, 2025, around 4:15 PM, lawyer Serdar Öktem was stuck in traffic on Büyükdere Street, one of Istanbul's busiest streets. Four masked young men got out of a car parked in the adjacent lane. Two of them were armed with Kalashnikovs, while the other two were armed with handguns. They sprayed Öktem with bullets and killed him. The attackers, who had gotten into their car, were shouting and jubilant that they had avenged Caner Koçer, one of the leaders of the Dalton Gang.
Immediately after the attack, it was announced that the Daltons had killed lawyer Serdar Öktem. The Daltons and members of the Gündoğmuş Gang, with whom they had formed an alliance, immediately claimed responsibility for the attack via social media accounts. They also claimed revenge for Caner Koçer. These posts targeted İsmail Atız, nicknamed "Hamuş," the leader of the Casperlar Gang, and Zuhat Altunç, the leader of the Çirkinler Crime Organization. A mafia war had raged for years between the Daltons and the Casperlar and Çirkinler gangs. Numerous gang members were killed in this war, both in Türkiye and abroad.
The four attackers and the driver, who had fled, were apprehended two hours later in a taxi in Arnavutköy. Two were under 18. All of the attackers sought effective remorse and gave detailed statements. Police asked the attackers if they knew them and listed the other suspects in the case file as follows:
“Naci Yılmaz (Siirtli Naci), Uğurcan Gündoğmuş, Beratcan Gökdemir (Dalton) are among the suspects mentioned within the scope of the investigation of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office….”
This claim is very significant. Naci Yılmaz, from Siirt, is the top suspect in the Serdar Öktem murder case. He was named as the primary suspect. Following him were Uğurcan Gündoğmuş, leader of the Gündoğmuşlar Gang, and Beratcan Gökdemir, leader of the Daltonlar Gang.
MYSTERIOUS BARONDespite running a large drug network, Naci Yılmaz has remained shrouded in mystery for many years. In the early 2000s, he was the leader of a criminal organization based in Fatih, Istanbul. He gathered criminals around him to form a racketeering, extortion, purse snatching, and pickpocketing ring. He was arrested in 2007 and faced a sentence of up to 95 years. After his release, he traveled abroad, gradually building a vast drug empire.
He established a tight and highly profitable network with drug traffickers in Türkiye. He distributed heroin coming from the Afghanistan-Iran-Turkey route, or the "Balkan Route," in Europe. After a while, he began importing cocaine from Latin American countries and distributing it through his own network. Allegedly, he established a system where he bartered cocaine for heroin both in Europe and Türkiye. He was also known to have partnered with Urfi Çetinkaya, one of Türkiye's largest drug traffickers, and with many other criminal organization leaders. Like Urfi Çetinkaya, he allegedly lived in Spain for many years. However, with his numerous fake IDs and passports, he easily moved countries.
Naci Yılmaz became one of the world's largest drug lords thanks to his routes across Latin America and Türkiye, as well as his distribution network in Europe. Abdullah Alp Üstün, apprehended in Dubai last week and flown to Türkiye by private jet, was also alleged to be a partner of Naci Yılmaz.
According to the findings of the prosecutor's office investigating the murder of Serdar Öktem, the financing of the new generation gangs emerging from Istanbul's neighborhoods is provided by European drug lord Naci Yılmaz.
OSMAN BEŞE MURDERThe prosecutor's office begins the process leading up to the Serdar Öktem murder with the killing of Osman Beşe in the garden of a private hospital in Bakırköy, Istanbul. A hitman from the Dalton Gang sprayed Osman Meşe with bullets on June 18, 2025.
Osman Beşe, who died from nine bullets to the body, ran a large drug distribution network in Istanbul. They called this distribution system "Samuel." The network had kiosks in numerous cities on both the European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul, out of sight of MOBESE (Mobile Security) and security cameras. Drug packages were delivered from these kiosks to couriers in cars and motorcycles. Samuel had a large clientele and even set up a call center. People looking to buy drugs would text the call center and send their location. The person collecting the requests would send the drugs and their location to a WhatsApp group called "Samuel," which he created with the couriers. The couriers would return the collected money to the network's managers in cash on the same day and receive their share.
FILE CLOSEDA courier apprehended in Istanbul three years ago provided crucial information about the network and sought to capitalize on the effective repentance. He provided the kiosks where they purchased the drugs, the names of the network's leaders, and even their WhatsApp messages to the judiciary. However, the prosecutor's office ruled not to prosecute, and the case was closed. Osman Beşe was killed two years after the case was closed.
The prosecutor's office investigating the murder of Serdar Öktem stated that Osman Beşe was a henchman of Mehmet Sabri Şirin, nicknamed "Meks," the leader of the Smurfs Crime Organization. It was even determined that he was killed by the Daltons because he was a member of the Smurfs Gang.
The prosecutor's office alleged that the Şirinler Crime Organization, following the murder of Osman Beşe, handed over the location of Caner Koçer, one of the leaders of the Dalton Gang, to the Caspers and the Ugly criminal organizations in Spain. 30-year-old Caner Koçer was killed in Torrevieja, Spain, on August 3, 2025. On September 25, Furkan Yavuz, a friend of Caner Koçer and a member of the Dalton Gang, was targeted and killed.
UNDERGROUND ALLIANCESAccording to the prosecutor's office overseeing the Serdar Öktem investigation, the gangs of the Caspers, the Uglies, the Smurfs, and Ümit Yalçın, nicknamed "Gypsy," formed an alliance against drug lord "Siirtli Naci." Naci Yılmaz, in turn, formed a partnership with the Daltons and the Gündoğmuş Gang. The Daltons announced this partnership by killing Osman Beşe. The Caspers and the Uglies then took revenge with murders in Spain and Belgium.
GUNDOGMUS AND NACI YILMAZUğurcan Gündoğmuş, the leader of the Gündoğmuşlar Gang, who collaborated with Naci Yılmaz, killed Mücahit Kanat in Kağıthane in 2020 and fled the country. But he continued to lead the gang from abroad. Uğurcan Gündoğmuş, who allied with the Daltonlar Gang, had Cumali Aslan killed on the Golden Horn Bridge. He later orchestrated the murder of Ramazan Aslan. Finally, he and the Daltons had Halil Ay killed in France.
Uğurcan Gündoğmuş was injured in an armed attack in Greece. Sinan Memi, one of the Dalton leaders, was with him at the time. After this attack, Uğurcan Gündoğmuş went to Naci Yılmaz, aka Naci from Siirt, and continued his activities alongside him. The Dalton Gang also sided with Naci Yılmaz. Naci Yılmaz, the Gündoğmuş family, and the Daltons jointly decided to organize armed attacks.
Evidence of the ConnectionThe prosecutor's office listed the evidence of the alliance between the big baron and the new generation gangs as follows:
Naci Yılmaz and Uğurcan Gündoğmuş were caught with weapons abroad. One of their men claimed possession of the weapons and they were released.
On Naci Yılmaz's orders, the Daltons shot up the Rubby bar in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. The venue's security guard, Yasin Keskin, was killed.
On May 18, 2025, the Casper and Çirkin gangs attacked a car dealership called Cars of Ferro. This business was linked to Hasan Lala, who was alleged to have laundered money in the case against Naci Yılmaz's partner, Abdullah Alp Üstün. The day after the attack, Uğurcan Gündoğmuş's men were waiting at the car dealership with long-barreled weapons. Security cameras at the dealership were recording audio, and the gunmen claimed they had been sent by "Naci Abi."
In the prosecutor's letter, it was stated that Serdar Öktem has been the lawyer of Mehmet Sabri Şirin, nicknamed "Meks," the leader of the Şirinevler Crime Organization, since 2014, and of İsmail Atız, nicknamed "Hamuş," the leader of the Casperlar Crime Organization, since 2018.
The prosecutor's office made the following observation in its report: "Social media posts, news reports, intelligence work, and testimonies from members of the Daltons Crime Organization have determined that Serdar Öktem laundered the Caspers' money and provided information against the Caspers and the Crime Organization to rival criminal organizations. Information has been obtained indicating that Serdar Öktem became a target of these gangs for this reason."
CANER KOÇER WAS GOING TO HAVE HIM KILLEDAccording to the prosecutor's office's findings, Caner Koçer, who was murdered in Spain, was attempting to have lawyer Serdar Öktem killed in May 2025. Eren Öztek, who worked at a hotel in Bakırköy, Istanbul, was killed on May 12, 2025. The hitmen in this murder were Haydar Koç, a member of the Daltonlar Crime Organization, and S.Ç.Y., who was under 18. In their statements, the hitmen stated that they were preparing to kill a prosecutor on Caner Koçer's orders. However, an investigation revealed that the target was Serdar Öktem, not the prosecutor. Serdar Öktem was traveling with private security guards and was acting cautiously. Efforts to provide him with police protection were ongoing. In September, Serdar Öktem's photograph was found on a man apprehended near his office. Serdar Öktem had previously represented several leaders of the Daltonlar Gang. He was trying to avoid being targeted through them. Intermediaries said a settlement had been reached, and after this, Serdar Öktem began to act more freely. However, on October 6, 2025, four masked and armed individuals pointed their guns at his vehicle in the heart of Istanbul.
SMALL GEAR: HITMENHitmen are the smallest cogs in this vast machinery of kingpins and new-generation gangs. Children and young people in slums with no future and no education have become an unlimited human resource for gangs.
The murder of Serdar Öktem exposed the network of deaths these gangs had established, involving escape houses, hotels, and cars filled with weapons. The captured hitmen explained in their testimonies how this network operated.
The head of the hitman organization was 23-year-old Sidar Öz. Öz, who worked at a car wash for a time, was the son of a family that had migrated from Diyarbakır to Istanbul. He lived in Esenler and was a high school graduate. He had served a 1.5-year sentence for possessing an unlicensed firearm. He was also on trial for card fraud. He had returned to Istanbul after being released on leave from Sivas E-Type Open Prison. In his statement, he claimed that Alican Çakır, one of the Dalton leaders, had called him on FaceTime and threatened to kill his family, forcing him to commit the murder. However, he also stated that Caner Koçer and Furkan Yavuz were childhood friends from the same neighborhood.
Alican Çakır, who orchestrated the murder from abroad, is an Azerbaijani citizen and his real name is Ali Gulmalizada.
Two weeks before the murder, the vehicle sent by Alican Çakır picked up hitman Sidar Öz in Esenler. Sidar Öz was given a cell phone with no SIM card and only connected to Wi-Fi. He was prohibited from having any other phones with him. He was taken to a safe house in Bahçelievler, where he remained for a week. Alican Çakır was sending cash. The same people arrived and took him to a safe house in Yenibosna. Muhammet Kaplar, Ejder Parlak, and Cengizhan Üzümcü, who had come from Gaziantep for the murder, were there. Later, Serkan, who would be the driver in the attack, arrived. According to Sidar Öz's testimony, he had come from Eskişehir.
Phones were forbidden in the escape houses. Only Sidar had a phone connected to a Wi-Fi network. He constantly talked to Alican Çakır via FaceTime. After staying in this house for a week, they were taken to a getaway house in Esenyurt. A week before the murder, Alican Çakır sent Sidar Öz the location of lawyer Serdar Öktem's office in Şişli. A bag in the trunk of the car contained two Kalashnikovs, two pistols, masks, and a change of clothes. They drove around the area from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, but Serdar Öktem didn't show up, and they returned to the getaway house.
THEY WENT TO HIS HOME TOOAfter waiting two days at this house, Alican Çakır sent the location of Serdar Öktem's house in Ataköy. They waited there until 3:00 a.m., but Serdar Öktem didn't show up. They were ordered to leave the car there and return to the escape house by taxi.
Driver Serkan left, claiming he was ill. A day later, Sidar Öz's friend from the neighborhood, Semih Aydın, arrived at the escape house.
MOMENT OF MURDER: GO FOR ITSidar Öz was constantly in FaceTime with Alican Çakır. Ahead of them was a lead vehicle warning them of police stops. Around 4:00 PM, Alican Çakır said Serdar Öktem left his office and headed toward the highway. "Go after him," he said. Three people in the back seat took the weapons from the trunk and distributed them. Sidar Öz and the under-18 MK had taken Kalashnikovs. Ejder Parlak and C.Ü. were armed with pistols. Serdar Öktem's car was stuck in traffic on Barbaros Boulevard, parked in the right lane. Semih Aydın saw his car as he drove in the left lane. They put on their masks. Alican Çakır, speaking to Sidar Öz via FaceTime, shouted, "Get out, get out!" They got out of the car with their weapons. Serdar Öz spotted them and loaded a bullet into the barrel of his gun. However, the gunmen opened fire within seconds. When they returned to the car, they called Alican Çakır and said, "Caner's revenge has been taken." They were all overjoyed. Alican Çakır gave them the location of their escape in Arnavutköy. On the way, they called someone they called "Gaddar Abi" and gave them the information. This was Mustafa Aktürk, nicknamed "Gaddar," one of the Daltons' managers. They left the car at the Arnavutköy location, attached the license plates they retrieved from the trunk, and changed into the spare clothes they had in their bags. Sidar Öz sent Alican Çakır their location, and a taxi arrived shortly thereafter. They had thrown the clothes and weapons they had worn during the attack into the woods and broken the cell phone. On the way to Arnavutköy center, the gendarmerie stopped the taxi. The hitmen were apprehended.
Uneducated and unemployedSemih Aydın, the driver of the car, is 19 years old. He was born in Bağcılar and has a secondary school education. He lives in Esenyurt. He worked as a waiter for a while but was unemployed.
One of the hitmen, Ejder Parlak, was 18 years old and living in Gaziantep. He was a middle school graduate and unemployed. He had previously been charged with drug offenses. He was friends in Gaziantep with the other hitmen, MK and C.Ü., both under 18. Alican Çakır called MK, told him that Caner Koçer would be avenged, and gave them instructions. They traveled from Gaziantep to Istanbul by bus. They were taken to a hideout in Esenyurt.
When they first arrived in Istanbul, they stayed at the Gaziosmanpaşa Lara Hotel. Sidar Öz and Semih Aydın had also stayed there before. The investigation noted that this hotel was frequently used.
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