£22m of jewels and antiques seized in raid at Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar

Istanbul’s centuries-old Grand Bazaar (Ali Aksoyer/DHA via AP)

Police in Istanbul have seized jewels and antiques worth an estimated 30 million dollars (£22.3 million) from businesses in the city’s historic Grand Bazaar during an investigation into smuggled diamonds, Turkish media reported.

The operation was launched after 10 suspects were initially detained for smuggling gems into Turkey, broadcaster CNN Turk and other outlets reported.