Founder Of Failed Crypto Exchange Thodex Arrested In Turkey After 2 Years On The Run

Faruk Fatih Ozer, founder and former CEO of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Thodex, has finally been arrested in Turkey after being extradited from Albania on fraud and money laundering charges.

He was detained by Turkish police upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport Thursday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. From the airport, the detained founder was taken for health checkups. He will then be transferred to the Istanbul Police Department.

Ozer, 29, arrived in Turkey almost two years after his failed crypto exchange unexpectedly halted its trading and withdrawals following police raids at its offices on April 22, 2021. The crypto firm said at the time that it had "temporarily closed" its platform to address an "abnormal fluctuation in the company accounts," according to CNBC.

Istanbul-based crypto exchange Thodex suspended its operations in the wake of an exit scam involving Ozer, who fled Turkey and ran to Albania in May 2021 with a reported $2 billion in investors' assets, leaving thousands of customers with losses.

Interpol issued a red notice for Ozer on April 23, 2021, but it wasn't until August 2022 that he was arrested in Albania. Ozer gave a false name at the time of his arrest, but his identity was confirmed after officers took his fingerprints and used facial recognition technology.

The Albanian Supreme Court overturned Ozer's appeal against his extradition to Turkey Tuesday, bringing an end to his legal battle against deportation. This decision came months after the Elbasan Judicial District Court decided in favor of his extradition to Turkey.

The Turkish police also detained 62 people in connection with the Thodex exit scam in eight cities including Istanbul. Some of Ozer's siblings were reportedly among the detained individuals.

The Thodex scam is seen as the largest con in Turkish history, with more than 400,000 people falling victim to the fraud. Once touted as one of the biggest crypto exchanges in Turkey, Thodex used lucrative advertisement campaigns to attract investors. The company featured Turkish models as part of its campaigns and even promised to distribute luxury cars to lure investors.

Meanwhile, Ozer contradicted the allegations, claiming that only 30,000 members were affected by the fraud and that reports of $2 billion in losses were "unfounded," as per CNBC.

Several Thodex users filed complaints against the crypto firm, while investors said they were unable to access their accounts and expressed concerns about their savings.

Chainalysis reportedly valued the loss of cryptocurrency at Thodex at $2.6 billion earlier this year, terming it the largest "rug pull" of 2021.