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Turkish authorities detained 68 of 80 suspects in a sweeping investigation centered on Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar into alleged money laundering, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the bureau carried out the fourth wave of operations for the Prevention of the Financing of Terrorism and the Investigation of Money Laundering Crimes within the scope of the Grand Bazaar and Venus files, aimed at preventing the offense of “laundering assets obtained from crime.”
Investigators determined that funds generated through Forex-related schemes, cyber fraud methods and illegal online betting sites were integrated into the legal banking system through shell companies and individual bank accounts, the statement said.
The proceeds were then transferred to cryptocurrency companies and moved abroad, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Detention orders were issued for a total of 80 suspects. Operations to apprehend them were carried out in 15 provinces, including Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Sirnak, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Sakarya, Kayseri, Kirikkale, Rize, Manisa, Mugla and Samsun.
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Authorities also seized assets believed to have been obtained through criminal activity by identified shell company owners and suspects facilitating money transfers.
The seizures included 28 vehicles, 41 immovable properties, 11 residential units and eight workplaces.
The prosecutor’s office said the investigation is being conducted in a comprehensive and meticulous manner to protect financial security, prevent criminal proceeds from entering the economic system and fully uncover the organizational structure involved.
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