Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced the raids on Monday via X. He said the operations targeted networks threatening “the future of our children and our economic security”. A total of 233 suspects face legal action across both operations.
The Antalya operation was coordinated by the city’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. It was carried out simultaneously across 20 provinces after months of technical and physical police surveillance. Some 139 teams took part.
The raid, the latest in a multi-year battle against illegal gambling , targeted 183 individuals, whose bank accounts showed transaction amounts of more than TL11.3bn (€213.3m).
The raid in Mersin city was conducted according to the order of the Chief Public Prosecutors’ Office in Mersin, using the gendarmerie forces.
The operation targeted an alleged organised criminal group accused by Gürlek of money laundering from foreign betting websites.
The police arrested 50 individuals and confiscated their luxury vehicles, residences, and properties believed to have been earned illegally. Those accounts allegedly held a transaction volume of TL7bn (€132.1m).
Separately, transactions worth TL5.1bn (€112m) were suspended as part of anti-money laundering measures. These were linked to accounts allegedly used by illegal betting organisers.
Monday’s operations are the latest in a sustained enforcement push that has accelerated sharply in recent months.
In December, investigators detained 42 suspects in an illegal betting probe involving transactions exceeding TL6bn (€140m). The operation included seizures of bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets.
The crackdown has extended well beyond street-level enforcement.
The authorities have been targeting the GAİN Medya group, associated with the Anahat Holding company. They accuse the company of involvement in illegal gambling, criminal activity and money laundering.
The leaders were apprehended and their property, suspected of being criminally acquired, was confiscated.
Ankara has also pressed the banking sector into service.
Under a regulation issued by Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board, known as MASAK, banks must collect detailed information for transfers of 200,000 Turkish liras and above. This rule took effect on 1 January of this year.
Banking firms are supposed to give all the details regarding the transaction and payment to law enforcement within 10 days. Failure to do so can lead to criminal charges.
According to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has equated online gambling with terrorism , gambling cartels should be dismantled before the upcoming elections in Turkey.
Gürlek struck a similar tone on Monday. “No criminal group is above justice,” he said. “Our fight against crime and criminal organisations will continue without compromise until they are rooted out.”
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