Exorbitant Price Operation in the Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Market: 33 Detentions

In the investigation, which examined the price journey from the field to the market, it was determined that large supplier companies manipulated prices with fake documents and understated the supply. Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek announced that a detention order was issued for 41 suspected executives and a search was launched in 22 provinces.

Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek's statements are as follows:

"Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while protecting the labor of our producers, the budget of our citizens and the fair functioning of the market, we resolutely continue our fight against crimes that provide unfair profits by manipulating prices and disrupt the economic order.

In this context, in the investigation carried out by our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the "price journey from field to market" was put under the spotlight. Market Registration System data was obtained from our Ministry of Commerce and Farmer Registration System data from our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; A comprehensive report was prepared by the Tax Inspection Board of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. The declarations of approximately 1,029 farmers were consulted to examine the price at which the products left the producers and the conditions under which they reached the suppliers.

According to the investigations, some companies, which are the major suppliers of the market, used their dominance in the market to present the product supply as lower than it is and the costs to be higher than the reality; It was determined that they created unrealistic costs by issuing fake producer receipts and that they made unfair profits by manipulating prices upwards in the fresh fruit and vegetable market with these methods.

In this context; In the investigation carried out for the crimes of influencing prices, violating the Tax Procedure Law, forgery of documents and laundering of criminal assets, detention orders were issued for 41 suspected managers of 41 large distributor companies; A simultaneous search was launched in a total of 109 workplaces and residences in 22 provinces.

To our Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which carried out the investigation with great care, and to our Istanbul Provincial Police Department, which carried out the operations; We would like to thank our Ministry of Treasury and Finance, our Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and our Ministry of Commerce for contributing to the investigation with their data, analysis and reports.

"No stage of the chain from field to table will be allowed to be turned into a source of unfair profit through the labor of our producers and the budget of our citizens!"

33 PEOPLE WERE DETAINED

33 of the 41 managers of large distributor companies for whom detention orders were issued in the "price journey from field to market" investigation were caught.

In the statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that an investigation was carried out by the Organized Crimes Investigation Bureau into the "exorbitant price practice in the fresh fruit and vegetable market".

In the statement, it was stated that within the scope of the investigation, reports containing transaction volumes in the fresh vegetable and fruit trade about the suspects were added to the investigation file, as a result of the warrants written to the Competition Board, the Ministry of Commerce and the Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Mersin and Antalya metropolitan municipalities law directorates.

In the statement, it was stated that the declarations of 1029 farmers were consulted within the scope of the study carried out by the Tax Inspection Board based on the warrant, and the following was noted:

"In the reports dated July 14 and September 3, which were prepared as a result of the declarations of the farmers about how and at what price they supplied their products to the suppliers, and as a result of the examination of the books and documents made within the scope of product purchase and sale by the suspects in the position of suppliers, it was revealed that the taxpayers who are suppliers operating in the fresh vegetable and fruit sector, prepared fake producer receipts to show the fresh vegetable and fruit products they purchased from the farmers to be higher than the real purchase price, used their dominant position in the market, understated the product supply, overstated the costs, or procured the products." "It was determined that they caused exorbitant price practices by upward price manipulation, such as unnecessary extension of the chain."

In the statement, it was stated that detention orders were given for 41 suspects who were suppliers who were found to cause exorbitant price practices in the fresh fruit and vegetable sector, and it was stated that search orders were issued at 109 addresses, including workplaces and residences, in 22 different provinces.

Istanbul Police Department's Financial Crimes Fighting Branch teams caught 33 of the 41 managers of large distributor companies for whom detention orders were issued during the operation.

The teams are continuing their efforts to catch 8 fugitive suspects.

RECEIPTS ARE ISSUED ON BEHALF OF DEAD PERSONS

Within the scope of the investigation, companies' purchasing and sales documents, farmers' declarations and Market Registration System data were examined. It was determined that the information on the producer receipts issued when purchasing products from the producer did not coincide with the farmers' statements. According to the prepared report; It was stated that company representative A.D. issued 87 producer receipts for a total of 2 million 524 thousand 987 liras and 35 kuruş on behalf of 49 people who lost their lives between January 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. NAME. Some people, for whom receipts were issued, declared that they had no agricultural activities, that they did not sell products to them, and that they were not aware of the documents.

PURCHASING PRICES WERE DISPLAYED HIGH

Its official is İ.D. In the investigation of the company, it was determined that there was a difference between the farmers' sales prices and the purchase prices written on the receipts. C.S., who sold capia pepper to the company, said that he sold the product for 8-9 lira per kilogram. In the report, it was noted that the company showed the price per kilogram between 18.70 and 23.95 lira in the receipts issued for this purchase, and sold the product for an average of 17.98 lira. It was evaluated that by showing the purchase price high, the aim was to create the impression that the sales price was reasonable and to hide the profit obtained.

INSTEAD OF 70 TONS, 171 TONS OF PRODUCTS WERE SHOWN

A.K., who sells products to the company that I.D. is authorized by. He stated that capia pepper, which he sold for a maximum of 11.50 lira per kilogram, showed an average of 18.70 lira on the receipts. E.B., for whom the same company issued a receipt worth 1 million 236 thousand 522 liras. He declared that he had never produced or sold capia pepper. H.A., who sold tomato paste to the same company, said that he sold a total of 70 tons of products for 2-3 liras per kilogram, but a receipt was issued in his name for an average of 4.87 liras for 171 thousand 544 kilograms of products. In the report, it was stated that the company of which I.D. was responsible also issued producer receipts on behalf of the 6 people who lost their lives.

SALES AND CARPENT RECORDS DID NOT MATCH

Its official is Y.C. In the investigation of the company, it was determined that producer receipts were issued in the name of 27 people who lost their lives. It was determined that although this company sold approximately 13.5 million kilograms of products with invoices in the first 3 months of 2026, it reported sales of approximately 8.4 million kilograms to the Market Registration System. It was reflected in the report that the company's industrial orange sales in the same period exceeded its registered purchases by approximately 2.2 million kilograms, and the stock at the beginning of the period did not cover this difference.