Operation against "Çobanlar Group" in Ankara: assets worth 1 billion 550 million lira seized

Within the scope of the investigation coordinated by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, 10 suspects were detained and assets worth 1 billion 550 million lira were seized in an operation targeting the laundering of criminal proceeds obtained from drug trafficking. The investigation was carried out by teams from the Ankara Provincial Police Department's Anti-Narcotics Crimes Branch Directorate. The report prepared by MASAK, field research and financial analyses set out findings that the suspects, assessed to be part of the structure publicly known as the "Çobanlar Group," laundered income assessed to have been obtained from drug trafficking through various financial transactions, company activities and asset acquisitions.

The distribution of the seized assets is as follows: 18 vehicles 250 million lira, 12 real estate properties 300 million lira, 4 entertainment centers 320 million lira, 1 hotel 660 million lira and 1 office 20 million lira. The total transaction volume of the companies linked to the suspects and of the hotels and entertainment centers affiliated with these companies was determined to be 10 billion 308 million 821 thousand 634 lira 25 kuruş. The seizure was implemented following examinations conducted on the suspects' bank accounts and assets.

Within the scope of the investigation, simultaneous search and seizure operations were carried out at a total of 12 addresses belonging to 7 suspects, comprising 6 residences and 6 workplaces. During the searches at the addresses, 12 million 726 thousand 835 lira in cash, 316 promissory notes worth 79 million 320 thousand lira, 2 kilograms 130 grams of gold, 317 quarter gold coins, 9 full gold coins, 8 bracelets, 3 gremse gold coins, 38 thousand 320 dollars, 3 thousand 790 euros and 10 luxury watches were seized.

In the first stage of the operation, 6 of the 7 suspects were caught and detained. As the investigation continued, 4 more suspects were detained, bringing the total number of detentions to 10. It was reported that efforts to capture 1 suspect who remains at large are ongoing.

Among the seized vehicles, ultra-luxury sports cars including a Ferrari F8 Tributo, a Lamborghini Aventador and a Porsche 911 Cabriolet drew attention, while there were also numerous luxury Mercedes and BMW vehicles.