Had come to the fore with allegations of links to Halil Falyalı: $3 billion network dismantled, 13 million user records uncovered

The third operation targeting the Paymix structure has been carried out as part of an illegal betting and money laundering investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. During the “Paymix-3” operation conducted on May 5, 2026, a large amount of digital data and financial transactions were examined, and servers providing services to 49 illegal betting sites were disabled.

It was reported that an international financial network was uncovered in the investigation, which also brought up allegations of links to Halil Falyalı, who was killed in Northern Cyprus in 2022.

49 SITES SHUT DOWN, MILLIONS OF DATA POINTS IDENTIFIED

In the investigation, it was determined that some servers within Pentech Bilişim Teknolojileri provided infrastructure and hosting services to 49 illegal betting sites. It was announced that with the disabling of these servers, the operations of numerous sites were halted.

Technical examinations revealed that there were approximately 13 million 800 thousand illegal betting user records in the systems. It was noted that approximately 3 million 173 thousand of these records matched unique Turkish ID numbers, and 8 million 800 thousand contained phone information.

535 ACCOUNTS AND NUMEROUS ASSETS SEIZED

A total of 38 suspects were targeted within the scope of the operation. It was stated that one of the suspects is currently in prison, 15 are operating abroad, and 22 are within the country.

26 vehicles, 18 residences, 18 fields and gardens, 3 workplaces, and 535 bank and cryptocurrency accounts belonging to the suspects were seized. It was reported that international judicial processes and red notice procedures have been initiated regarding the suspects abroad.

MONTHLY VOLUME OF $1 BILLION

In the statement by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that a monthly transaction volume of approximately $1 billion was generated through the Paymix structure. It was noted that criminal proceeds were laundered through shell companies, multi-layered transfer chains, and cryptocurrency transactions.

52 THOUSAND BANK ACCOUNTS UNDER SURVEILLANCE

In the investigation, approximately 14 thousand 600 bank accounts used to deposit money into illegal betting sites and 52 thousand 800 bank accounts assessed to be used for withdrawals were identified. It was conveyed that information regarding these accounts would be reported to MASAK (Financial Crimes Investigation Board) and that legal action would be taken under Law No. 7258 after the identities of the individuals placing bets are determined.

Technical analyses determined that illegal betting revenues were received via cryptocurrencies and then converted into cash and gold. In this process, it was determined that some jewelers were involved in the system in exchange for a commission. It was reported that cash conversion was provided through some businesses in Adana and Bursa, and that detention warrants were issued for the relevant individuals in this context.

Examinations revealed that fake websites were created to make it appear as if e-commerce activities were being conducted through companies established abroad. It was determined that transactions not based on the actual delivery of goods or services were made through these sites, and that cryptocurrencies were transferred to company accounts.

It was assessed that these transactions were transferred to different accounts through collusive invoices and international transfer methods, and that criminal proceeds were introduced into the system in this way. An investigation has been initiated by the Tax Inspection Board regarding the relevant companies.

ORGANIZED DIGITAL NETWORK UNCOVERED

Examinations of digital materials revealed an organized communication network conducted through messaging applications. It was determined that the suspects divided tasks and that some individuals held directing and decision-making positions.

It was noted that technical teams established the infrastructure for illegal betting sites, managed data storage, payment systems, and call center processes, and also actively used systems to ensure that cryptocurrency transfers were carried out securely.

PHYSICAL DELIVERY IN BARCELONA AND MALAGA

Financial investigations determined that high-value money transfers were carried out via cryptocurrencies and that different blockchain networks were used. It was stated that the income obtained domestically was converted into cash through jewelers and currency exchange offices in Adana and Bursa.

Abroad, it was stated that money traffic was maintained through physical delivery processes in centers such as Barcelona and Malaga.

Within the scope of the investigation, a trustee was appointed to “Bildiğin Kasap Gıda Üretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi,” which is assessed to be linked to criminal proceeds. It was stated that the company's previous title was “Kebab Factory Gıda Üretim Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret Limited Şirketi.”

In previous operations, trustees had also been appointed to some companies, including Beluza Yazılım and Pen Telekomünikasyon.

STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, in his statement regarding the operation, stated that the fight against illegal betting and money laundering traffic continues. Gürlek stated that 49 sites were shut down, millions of user data points were reached, and a blow was dealt to international criminal networks within the scope of the operation.

On the day the Paymix-3 operation was announced, a separate illegal betting operation was also carried out in 8 provinces centered in Izmir. Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that an operation was conducted against a criminal organization stated to manage a money traffic of approximately 1 billion 600 million liras.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had conducted the first operation as part of the Paymix investigation on March 6, 2026. According to MASAK reports, it was determined that approximately $1 billion in monthly revenue was generated from illegal betting activities and that a transaction volume exceeding 26 billion liras was reached in 2025.

News Source: 12punto