Illegal betting operation in 6 provinces: 2 billion TL fortune blocked
In an Istanbul-based operation, a criminal structure found to have generated illicit gains through the illegal betting site “showbahis.com” has been dismantled. While 20 suspects were taken into custody, assets exceeding 2 billion TL were seized.
12punto
As part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a large-scale operation was carried out against the domain name “showbahis.com,” which was determined to be conducting illegal betting activities. Simultaneous raids were conducted at a total of 17 addresses in Istanbul, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa, with the operation centered in Istanbul.
20 SUSPECTS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
Within the scope of the operation, 20 people identified as facilitating illegal betting through the site were taken into custody. The investigation file included information that the criminal organization consisted of one leader, three managers reporting to the leader, and 18 organization members acting under their instructions.
BALANCE EXCEEDING 2 BILLION TL BLOCKED
Within the framework of the investigation, a balance of 2 billion 86 million 8 thousand 77 TL, determined to be linked to illegal betting activities, was blocked. In addition, 11 vehicles and 3 real estate properties were evaluated within the scope of the investigation and included among the seized assets.
In the MASAK report included in the operation file, it was determined that the suspects obtained high amounts of illicit gains through the “showbahis” network. The report established that the illegal betting revenues were managed by an organized structure.
STATEMENT FROM THE CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a statement regarding the operation.
The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated the following in its announcement:
"Within the scope of the investigation initiated by our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office; Smuggling, Narcotics and Economic Crimes Investigation Bureau against suspects identified as personally conducting illegal betting activities through the illegal betting platform named "showbahis.com";
In line with the findings revealed in MASAK analyses, it was determined that the suspects provided illicit gains by facilitating illegal betting through "showbahis.com," and in this context, it was determined that there was a transaction volume of 2,086,008,077.00 (2 Billion 86 Million 8 Thousand 77) TL in the suspects' accounts.
In order to carry out illegal betting activities; it was determined that a hierarchical criminal organization structure was formed, consisting of 1 organization leader, 3 managers reporting to the leader, and 18 organization members evaluated to be operating at an operational level in line with the instructions of the managers, and a simultaneous operation was carried out at a total of 17 separate addresses in 6 different provinces, including Istanbul as the center, Sakarya, Kocaeli, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Şanlıurfa; 20 suspects were taken into custody in the operation carried out by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command Cybercrime Combat Branch teams, and search and seizure procedures were applied to the suspects' residences, workplaces, and vehicles.
Within the scope of the investigation, in order to prevent the laundering of assets evaluated to be obtained from crime, by the decision of the Istanbul Criminal Court of Peace; 11 vehicles and 3 real estate assets belonging to the suspects were seized, and 265 bank accounts belonging to the suspects and 1 legal entity were blocked as a precautionary measure."