Turkish authorities detained 30 suspects, including alleged crime group leader Alihan Kuriş, in a large-scale financial crime operation spanning 17 provinces, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday.
The raids were carried out simultaneously at 123 addresses, primarily in Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya, as part of an investigation into allegations including establishing and leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, laundering proceeds of crime, fraud causing losses to public institutions and violations of tax law.
Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 49 suspects and authorized searches and seizures at 43 addresses linked to individuals and 80 addresses belonging to 33 companies. Thirty suspects were detained, nine were found to be abroad, while efforts were underway to apprehend the remaining 10.
Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) prepared a report examining the suspects and companies allegedly linked to the organization.
According to the report, several companies associated with the group recorded sharp increases in financial transaction volumes after 2020. Investigators identified company divisions and transfers in which new firms were established with unusually high capital, sometimes in different provinces and operating in sectors unrelated to the original companies.
