türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 July 2026)
The color seems right anyway...
In a simultaneous operation targeting the production and sale of
counterfeit gold across 10 provinces, centered in Kahramanmaraş,
67 out of 71 suspects were apprehended. The operation seized illicit
goods with a market value of approximately 150 million TL
(about $3.2 million).
According to the information obtained, investigations into the
increasing number of counterfeit gold cases in Kahramanmaraş in
recent years revealed that gold coins such as quarter, half, and full
gold coins, as well as Atatürk liras, which should be minted at the
Turkish Mint, were being produced in unlicensed workshops with
low purity and insufficient weight.
Kahramanmaraş branch just opened...and closed.
Following this, the Kahramanmaraş Chief Public Prosecutor's Office
launched an investigation into the crimes of "counterfeiting currency,
counterfeiting equivalent value, and aggravated fraud." As a result of
wiretapping orders and technical investigations conducted within the
scope of the investigation, 71 suspects were identified, including
jewelers, workshop owners, marketers, and mold makers in
Kahramanmaraş, Mersin, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Bursa, Hatay, Malatya,
Diyarbakır, Kilis, and Sivas.
On June 30th, at 06:00, a simultaneous operation was conducted in 10
provinces with the participation of 150 teams and 490 personnel. During
the operation, 67 of the 71 suspects were taken into custody, and efforts
to apprehend the remaining suspects are ongoing.
During searches conducted at the addresses in the operation, 108 seals,
79 Ata Lira coins, 813 full gold coins, 792 half gold coins, 2,634 quarter
gold coins, 3,666 grams of gold, various gram and Reşat gold coins, 151
figural gold pieces, approximately 1 kilogram and 590 grams of gold
jewelry, and 105.84 grams of plate gold were seized. Additionally, 9
unlicensed rifles, 8 unlicensed pistols, 5 blank-firing pistols, 4 magazines,
3,338 cartridges and rounds of ammunition, 3 cutting tools, and 26
synthetic pills were also confiscated. The market value of the seized
items is estimated to be approximately 150 million Turkish Lira.
There's gold in them there hills!
