Hüseyin Baybasin
Encyclopedia
Hüseyin Baybaşin is a Kurdish
drug lord
. Once described as "Europe's Pablo Escobar
", he is currently serving life sentence in the Netherland
s convicted of drug smuggling charges.
of Turkey. In the 1970s, the clan began refining heroin in remote farmhouses in Lice, close to the Syria
n border. Huseyin Baybaşin, the head of the family, teamed up with Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK), a Kurdish terrorist group fighting for autonomy in Turkey's south-east. With the PKK's firepower, the Baybaşin syndicate took control of vast quantities of the heroin coming out of Afghanistan
.
In 1976, he was apprehended with 11 kg (24.3 lb) hashish
found in his house by a raid, and was charged with two years in prison. Later, Hüseyin was arrested in the United Kingdom
for possession of fake passport
, and convicted to twelve years. However, he was released after around four years to serve the rest in Turkey. After four months of incarceration in Turkey, he was set free in 1989. Only four days from his release from the prison, he was apprehended in Silivri
, a town west of Istanbul
, for carrying an unlicensed gun and narcotic
s. Hüseyin fled abroad but was arrested by the Dutch police in 1995 and served a sentence.
By 1998, the Baybaşins were making millions from exporting heroin to Europe. His elder brother Abdullah Baybaşin
, also a drug lord, immigrated to the United Kingdom and set up his business in North London
, while Hüseyin choose the Dutch metropole Amsterdam
for his base.
, Italian
, Belgian
, German
and Dutch police in a villa in Lieshout
,. He was initially placed in an ordinary detention facility in Rotterdam
. On June 26, 1998, it was decided to detain him in a pre-trial detention unit of maximum security in Vught
. His incarceration in the Vught Prison was extended several times.
Hüseyin Baybaşin and Gıyasettin were tried and found guilty on February 10, 2001 on charges of conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and drug smuggling. Hüseyin was convicted to twenty years in prison that was increased to life sentence in July 2002. while Gıyasettin received eleven years in prison. Abdullah Baybaşin was also convicted in 2002 and jailed in the United Kingdom
.
On December 24, 2003, Hüseyin Baybaşin was transferred to another prison with a different regime. On March 23, 2004 a psychiatric report found that Baybaşin had developed various mental problems including chronic post-traumatic stress disorder
, depression
and a strong tendency towards somatisation during his detention in the maximum security prison.
In the same period, the State Security Court (DGM) in Istanbul tried 21 Turkish people, among them in absentia
Hüseyin and Gıyasettin Baybaşın, imprisoned in the Netherlands, and Nizamettin Baybaşin, convicted for fifteen years in prison in Germany, for setting up a criminal organization and exporting illicit drugs. The court concluded the apprehension of those accused.
Hüseyin is believed to have retained most of his vast wealth, which he invested in tourist resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean
coasts.
was intercepted end of 1992 by the Turkish police in Mediterranean, suspected of smuggling about 3100 kg (6,834.3 lb) morphine base
, worth millions of dollars. The ship was scuttled by the crew during the operation. It was claimed that the drug belonged to a consortium of the ship's owner Osman Ayanoğlu and his partners including Şeyhmus Daş and Hüseyin Baybaşin, all Turkish drug lords.
Kurds in Turkey
Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey . Unlike the Turks, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language...
drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
. Once described as "Europe's Pablo Escobar
Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord. He was an elusive cocaine trafficker and rich and successful criminal. He owned numerous luxury residences, automobiles, and even airplanes...
", he is currently serving life sentence in the Netherland
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
s convicted of drug smuggling charges.
Rise to leadership of a drug empire
Hüseyin Baybaşin is a member of a clan having roots in the rural Southeastern Anatolia RegionSoutheastern Anatolia Region
Southeastern Anatolia Region is one of Turkey's seven census-defined geographical regions . It is bordered by the Mediterranean Region to the west, the Eastern Anatolia Region to the north, Syria to the south, and Iraq to the southeast.-Provinces:...
of Turkey. In the 1970s, the clan began refining heroin in remote farmhouses in Lice, close to the Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n border. Huseyin Baybaşin, the head of the family, teamed up with Kurdistan Workers Party
Kurdistan Workers Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
(PKK), a Kurdish terrorist group fighting for autonomy in Turkey's south-east. With the PKK's firepower, the Baybaşin syndicate took control of vast quantities of the heroin coming out of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
In 1976, he was apprehended with 11 kg (24.3 lb) hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
found in his house by a raid, and was charged with two years in prison. Later, Hüseyin was arrested in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for possession of fake passport
Fake passport
A fake passport is a passport issued by governing bodies and then copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status of the bearer...
, and convicted to twelve years. However, he was released after around four years to serve the rest in Turkey. After four months of incarceration in Turkey, he was set free in 1989. Only four days from his release from the prison, he was apprehended in Silivri
Silivri
Silivri is a city and a district in Istanbul Province along the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, outside of metropolitan Istanbul, containing many holiday and weekend homes for residents of the city. The largest city in the district is also named Silivri...
, a town west of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, for carrying an unlicensed gun and narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
s. Hüseyin fled abroad but was arrested by the Dutch police in 1995 and served a sentence.
By 1998, the Baybaşins were making millions from exporting heroin to Europe. His elder brother Abdullah Baybaşin
Abdullah Baybasin
In 2004 Abdullah Baybaşin was accused of being at the helm of a £25 billion heroin empire based in North London. He had been convicted of drug charges in 2006 involving up to of heroin and sentenced to 22 years in prison ....
, also a drug lord, immigrated to the United Kingdom and set up his business in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, while Hüseyin choose the Dutch metropole Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
for his base.
Life sentence
On March 27, 1998, Hüseyin was arrested along with his nephew Gıyasettin Baybaşin following a joint operation carried out by the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Dutch police in a villa in Lieshout
Lieshout
Lieshout is a small village in the southern Netherlands, lying about 15 kilometres northeast of Eindhoven. There are 4,300 inhabitants, and the village is famous for its beer brewery called 'Bavaria'....
,. He was initially placed in an ordinary detention facility in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. On June 26, 1998, it was decided to detain him in a pre-trial detention unit of maximum security in Vught
Vught
Vught is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands. It is a town where lots of commuters live and has recently been named "Best place to live" by the Dutch magazine Elsevier.-Politics:...
. His incarceration in the Vught Prison was extended several times.
Hüseyin Baybaşin and Gıyasettin were tried and found guilty on February 10, 2001 on charges of conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and drug smuggling. Hüseyin was convicted to twenty years in prison that was increased to life sentence in July 2002. while Gıyasettin received eleven years in prison. Abdullah Baybaşin was also convicted in 2002 and jailed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
On December 24, 2003, Hüseyin Baybaşin was transferred to another prison with a different regime. On March 23, 2004 a psychiatric report found that Baybaşin had developed various mental problems including chronic post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
, depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
and a strong tendency towards somatisation during his detention in the maximum security prison.
In the same period, the State Security Court (DGM) in Istanbul tried 21 Turkish people, among them in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
Hüseyin and Gıyasettin Baybaşın, imprisoned in the Netherlands, and Nizamettin Baybaşin, convicted for fifteen years in prison in Germany, for setting up a criminal organization and exporting illicit drugs. The court concluded the apprehension of those accused.
Hüseyin is believed to have retained most of his vast wealth, which he invested in tourist resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
coasts.
Kısmetim-1 incident
The ocean freighter MV Kısmetim-1Kismetim-1 incident
The Kısmetim-1 incident occurred on December 15, 1992 when members of the Turkish Narcotic Police on Turkish Navy vessels supported by US officials intercepted the MV Kısmetim-1, a Turkish ocean freighter in Mediterranean international waters. The ship was suspected of being involved in smuggling...
was intercepted end of 1992 by the Turkish police in Mediterranean, suspected of smuggling about 3100 kg (6,834.3 lb) morphine base
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
, worth millions of dollars. The ship was scuttled by the crew during the operation. It was claimed that the drug belonged to a consortium of the ship's owner Osman Ayanoğlu and his partners including Şeyhmus Daş and Hüseyin Baybaşin, all Turkish drug lords.