Turkey delivers powerful blow to illegal betting network with turnover exceeding $1.6 million

Turkish law enforcement agencies continue large-scale operations in the fight against illegal betting networks, online casinos and fraudulent groups.

In the latest operation, conducted in Istanbul under the coordination of the city prosecutor's office, 68 suspects were detained. The investigation revealed a monetary turnover of more than 76.28 billion Turkish lira (approximately $1.6 million).

The suspects are charged with:

creating a criminal organization;

organizing illegal betting;

qualified fraud using information systems;

bribery;

laundering proceeds of crime.

According to the investigation, the criminal group transferred large sums received through electronic payment systems to various bank accounts, after which a significant portion of the funds was directed to platforms dealing with crypto assets.

Analysis of banking data showed that 100,025 financial transactions were carried out for a total of 76.28 billion lira.

Investigators established that most of the funds were then converted into the USDT (Tether) stablecoin and transferred to foreign crypto wallets to conceal the origin of the money and make it difficult to track.

In addition, the bank transfer descriptions contained wording indicating a connection between the transactions and illegal betting and gambling.

All detainees were taken to the Istanbul Cybercrime Directorate. The investigation continues.

Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek stated that the authorities are actively working both in the digital space and in the financial system, stopping criminal activity related to illegal betting and virtual platforms. The minister also reported that following the investigation, the court authorized the detention of 78 suspects, and operations were carried out at 89 addresses simultaneously. In addition, separate operations on cases related to illegal drug trafficking were launched in Ankara: in total, 119 suspects were identified in ten criminal cases, 25 of whom were already in prison.

Source: AHaber