Firefight between cigarette smugglers and police kills 1 in Kars

Police had ordered the minibus the smugglers were in to pullover after they grew suspicious, but the smugglers refused to heed the officers' orders and attempted to escape. During the chase that ensured the minibus got into a traffic accident near Mesut Yılmaz Park and two of the smugglers were injured.

Both of the injured smuggler then dismounted from the vehicle and opened fire on police. One police officer was killed in the clash.

Later inspection of the vehicle revealed a large cache of 5,000 packs of cigarettes.