In connection with a probe into unlawful betting that was conducted yesterday throughout eight provinces, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a detention order for 46 individuals. A total of 46 people were caught in simultaneous operations in Ankara, Batman, Bingöl, Kayseri, Krkkale, Muş, Van, and Yozgat, and $40 million in cryptocurrencies was seized, The Daily Sabah reported.
The Smuggling and Organized Crime Investigation Bureau issued a detention order against the criminal organization with its headquarters in Ankara after it was discovered that it had violated Law No. 7258, according to a statement from the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor.
It was found that Halil Falyal, his wife, and the casino manager were all part of the criminal organization and that the suspects facilitated the transfer of funds earned through unlawful gambling and transmitted the money amassed in their accounts to the cryptocurrency accounts of the group.
The statement identified Turkish Cypriot businessman Halil Falyal as the subject of charges relating to his managerial position in the illicit betting operations he oversaw on the island as well as suspicions of money laundering. He was fatally shot on February 8, 2022, during an attack in Girne (Kyrenia), a city in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is close to his residence.
A group of 11 persons, including Falyal and his wife, received TL 118,000 with 148 transactions for a total of TL 2.5 billion in bitcoin transfers to their accounts.
A total of $40 million in cryptocurrency was discovered to have been moved to domestic and international exchanges, and the custody, search, and seizure procedures for the individuals against whom detention orders have been filed are still ongoing.
