In an operation centered in Kocaeli across 31 provinces, 6.6 billion lira of illicit money was uncovered, 101 people detained

A comprehensive study conducted under the coordination of the Kocaeli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and by the teams of the Kocaeli Police Department Cyber Crime Branch has dismantled an illegal gambling and betting crime ring operating nationwide. As a result of deepening technical and physical surveillance, the financial and structural network of the organization has been fully uncovered, and during this process, 15 shell companies established to hide criminal activities were identified. To make betting transactions invisible, accounts opened through these companies were used, and it was determined that gold accounts and crypto asset buying-selling transactions were resorted to in order to obscure the trail of assets. In the examinations, the detection of a huge money movement of 6 billion 657 million 746 thousand 26 lira in these accounts in just a 3-month period reveals the financial scale of the organization.

As a result of the evidence obtained within the scope of the investigation, the amount and cycle of this illegal money flowing through shell companies and crypto asset accounts have been mapped in detail. The relationship between the account information used in betting sites and the accounts belonging to shell companies was established, and judicial authorities seized the assets worth 6.6 billion lira. The fact that the money traffic was so high indicates that the organization was involved in a major financial struggle not only on a local scale but also nationally, and constitutes a body of red-handed evidence regarding how the system worked. Thanks to the financial analysis competence of the cyber crime units, the trail of this money flow, which had a complex structure, was followed and the concrete evidence required for the legal process was completed.

With the collection of evidence and the obtaining of sufficient findings, the operational phase was initiated, and simultaneous operations were carried out in 31 provinces centered in Kocaeli on 30 June 2026. While this operation revealed the breadth of the organization's member base and geographical spread, the aim was to neutralize the suspects with immediate raids. Within the scope of the operation, 119 suspects were apprehended and detained, and during searches at addresses, a large number of digital materials related to the crime, along with 2 pistols and 108 cartridges, were seized. In the searches of homes and workplaces conducted by security forces, digital data and equipment that would shed light on the internal dynamics and communication networks of the organization were also taken under custody.

Following the completion of their processes at the police department, as a result of the legal procedures conducted regarding the 120 suspects referred to the judicial authorities, the number of those released under judicial control conditions was determined to be 19. However, due to the finding of admissible evidence against the vast majority of the suspect members and the gravity of the nature of the crime, the court decided to detain them. The fact that 101 of the suspects brought before the judge were detained and sent to prison symbolizes the legal success of the operation and the heavy blow dealt to the crime ring. The high number of detained suspects can be interpreted to include high-level figures in the hierarchy of the organization, and conveys the message that the judicial process will be followed.

This operation is based on significant intelligence accumulation regarding how the financial flows of illegal betting sites are directed through cryptocurrencies and shell companies. The coordination of the Kocaeli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the technical meticulousness of the cyber crime teams have signed a study that can set a precedent in the fight against similar crime rings in the country. The presence of seized weapons indicates that the organization should be evaluated not only as a cyber structure but also as a physical threat element. The steps taken to prevent the laundering of 6.6 billion lira and to bring this amount to the state treasury are extremely important in terms of economic security. With this operation, the intersection points of cyber crimes with classical crime types and struggle strategies against modern crime techniques have been clarified once again.