Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announces 3‑ton pregabalin seizure and illegal‑betting crackdown in Istanbul

Akın Gürlek pregabalin seizure illegal betting Ambarlı Port 33 suspects

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that coordinated operations in Istanbul targeted two separate criminal networks. An AI‑driven analysis of mass SMS traffic identified illegal‑betting advertisements sent from 0850‑prefix numbers, leading to arrest orders for 33 suspects whose digital devices were seized.

In a parallel drug investigation, customs and law‑enforcement units seized a container from a Chinese‑flagged vessel at Ambarlı Port containing about three tonnes of pregabalin, a controlled pharmaceutical with abuse potential. The seized drug was valued at roughly 2.1 billion Turkish lira. The truck used to transport the shipment was placed under guard, and three suspects were detained. The operations were jointly coordinated by the Justice, Interior and Trade ministries together with the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office, Jandarma, customs and police authorities.

Entities

Akın Gürlek · Ambarlı Port · Bakırköy Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı · Chinese‑flagged vessel · Istanbul · Istanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı · Justice Ministry of Turkey · Pregabalin · Recep Tayyip Erdoğan · Turkish Ministry of Justice · Turkish police · pregabalin

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 13 SOURCES] Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that an operation targeting illegal betting in Istanbul led to arrest orders for 33 suspects. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] AI‑driven analysis identified mass SMS messages promoting illegal betting, primarily from 0850 telephone numbers. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] Digital devices belonging to the suspects were seized. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] The operations were coordinated among the Justice, Interior and Trade ministries and involved the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office, Jandarma, customs and police authorities. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] A container from a Chinese‑flagged ship at Istanbul’s Ambarlı Port was seized containing about three tonnes of pregabalin. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] The seized pregabalin was valued at approximately 2.1 billion Turkish lira. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] The truck used to transport the seized pregabalin was placed under guard. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more
[● 13 SOURCES] Three suspects were detained in connection with the drug seizure. www.aydinpost.com · haber.mynet.com · www.turkgun.com · www.haberaktuel.com · www.malatyaguncel.com · +8 more