Nevşehir-led operation detains 100 suspects across 34 provinces in illegal betting and money-laundering crackdown

Turkish police carried out simultaneous raids at 181 addresses across 34 provinces in an operation led from Nevşehir. The sweep targeted illegal betting and money laundering and involved 818 police officers, 40 special operations personnel, two drones, and one narcotics detection dog.

Investigators detained 100 suspects during the operation. Seven other suspects are already imprisoned on separate charges, while four are believed to be abroad, and efforts to capture the remaining fugitives continue.

“The Interior Ministry announced a wide-ranging operation covering 34 provinces targeting illegal betting, money laundering, and the establishment of criminal organizations.”

Authorities said suspects collected bank account information from other people in exchange for commissions and used those accounts to transfer proceeds from illegal betting. The laundered funds reportedly moved through cryptocurrency exchanges and jewelers, with six jewelers identified as playing a role in the process.

Financial reviews revealed approximately 20 billion lira in transaction volume across bank accounts linked to companies and individuals established by the suspects. Officials also seized about 1 billion lira in movable assets and crime proceeds.

The Interior Ministry announced the operation, describing it as targeting illegal betting, money laundering, and the formation of criminal organizations. The Nevşehir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Nevşehir Provincial Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit conducted the investigation for about seven months before launching the raids.

The operation covered Nevşehir, Mardin, Adana, Adıyaman, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Batman, Bolu, Bursa, Diyarbakır, Düzce, Gaziantep, Giresun, Hakkari, Hatay, Iğdır, Isparta, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kırklareli, Kocaeli, Malatya, Mersin, Muğla, Niğde, Osmaniye, Samsun, Sivas, Tokat, and Yozgat.

Police also seized six unlicensed handguns, two unlicensed rifles, and one sword during the raids.