Yakup Kürşat Yılmaz (born 3 March 1961) is a
Turkish mob boss with links to the ultranationalist (
Grey Wolves
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though grey ...
) Turkish mafia. He was arrested in Bulgaria in July 1998, having escaped from prison in Turkey three times (1994, February 1997 and February 1998). He had been sentenced to 19 years for arranging the 1995 murder of former
Kuşadası
Kuşadası () is a municipality and district of Aydın Province, Turkey. Its area is 265 km2, and its population is 130,835 (2022). It is a large resort town on the Aegean coast. Kuşadası is south of İzmir, and about west of Aydın. T ...
Mayor Lütfi Suyolcu. He claimed that he had been told his sentence would be annulled if he killed businessman Halil Toprak, and that he had been given
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection period, people often have mild or no symptoms. Early symptoms can include ...
in Bulgaria in order to prevent him speaking about his connections.
After he escaped to Bulgaria, he was detained in
Varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city
** Varna Province
** Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
** Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
* Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
* Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia
Asia
* Var ...
in 1998 and subsequently extradited back to
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
in April 1999.
He was released on October 30, 2021, after his lawyers requested a retrial in 2021.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yilmaz, Kursat
Turkish crime bosses
Living people
1961 births