An anti-corruption operation to combat money laundering on a particularly large scale was carried out in Izmir

During the investigation of the case of laundering proceeds from crime, 6 people were arrested, including 4 customs officers. It is reported that E.B. (49 years old) and A.K. (44 years old) entered Cesme 4 times from the Greek island of Chios on December 26-27, 2023 and January 1-4, 2024 and filled out a total of 210 declarations on behalf of 119 companies in different currencies to create the appearance of importing a large amount of foreign currency into the country.

The investigation, coordinated by the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Cesme in Izmir, found that the total amount of funds indicated in the forged documents amounted to 1 billion 142 million 510 thousand dollars, 18 million euros and 6 million 950 thousand Danish crowns. The suspects, who have Turkish and German citizenship and live in Istanbul, claimed that they came to the island of Chios 4 times in 10 days for reasons such as "fishing and creating a boutique hotel." The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) continues to investigate whether these companies are operating or not, their commercial income and foreign trade.