258 kg of cocaine had been seized in his brother's container: His brother filed a criminal complaint against Murat Ağırel's book 'Havala'

A criminal complaint has been filed against journalist Murat Ağırel's book 'Havala', which covers drug trafficking and money laundering in Turkey, and a request has been made for the book to be recalled.

Ağırel shared the information that the person who filed the complaint regarding the book is Ahmed Ben Khadra, the brother of Alaa Ben Khadra, in whose container 258 kilograms of cocaine were seized during an operation at the Port of Mersin in 2022, and that this person had previously been tried for meat smuggling and acquitted.

'SO-CALLED INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST'

Pointing out that the lawsuit was filed not for the editing of the book but for its recall and the suspension of its sales, Ağırel faces five different charges, including slander and defamation.

According to the report in Cumhuriyet, the complaint used the phrase “a so-called investigative journalist acting with the aim of increasing his follower count and staying on the agenda” to describe Ağırel.

Ağırel stated that the lawyer for Ahmed Ben Khadra, who complained about 'Havala', is Ersan Şen, but that the lawsuit was not filed by Şen himself but by another lawyer, saying, “The person who filed the lawsuit is Ahmet Ekin, but the lawyer for the complainant is Ersan Şen. He did not file the lawsuit himself but through a law firm in Mersin.” 

'CHALLENGE ACCEPTED AGAIN'

Haluk Hepkon, the founder of Kırmızı Kedi Yayınevi, which published the book, also reacted to the accusations against Ağırel in a message shared on his social media account and expressed his support for our author. In his post, Hepkon used the following expressions:

“Requesting the recall of a book that fights against dirty money and drug trafficking, namely 'Havala', suits Ersan Şen, who defends the Deniz Feneri defendants, those who hid millions of dollars in shoeboxes, the crime machine Galip Öztürk, and Serbian drug barons, as well as landlords who caused the deaths of 35 people in the earthquake. He cannot do anything, that is separate, but for such a person to be presented as an 'opinion leader' is a shame for Turkey and for us. Kırmızı Kedi will also fight against this shame. We will show that the stakes are high. Challenge accepted again.”