Founder of Collapsed Crypto Exchange Thodex Detained in Turkey
• Thodex founder Faruk Fatih Ozer was extradited from Albania to Turkey and taken into police custody.
• The arrest comes two years after the collapse of the Turkish cryptocurrency exchange amid reports of an exit scam involving Ozer, who allegedly fled the country with $2 billion worth of stolen crypto assets.
• Interpol had issued a Red Notice for Ozer prior to his arrest in Albania last August.
Founder of Collapsed Crypto Exchange Thodex Detained in Turkey
The saga of the Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Thodex continues, with the founder being finally brought back home in two years after the platform halted trading.
Ozer’s Extradition
Faruk Fatih Ozer, founder and former CEO of Thodex, has been extradited from Albania to Turkey, Cointelegraph Turkey reported. Facing charges of fraud and money laundering, the local police immediately detained the 27-year-old upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport on April 20th. The detained founder is expected to undergo health check-ups and then will be taken to the Istanbul Police Department.
Thodex Collapse
This arrest comes almost two years after the Thodex exchange abruptly halted trading and withdrawals amid reports of police raids at its offices on April 22nd 2021. Local publications speculated that the suspension was part of an exit scam involving Ozer, who allegedly fled Turkey with at least $2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen from Thodex. Interpol subsequently issued a red notice for Ozer, who reportedly ran to Albania.
Arrest in Albania
About a year after Thodex collapsed, fugitive founder was arrested in Albania in August 2022. Additionally, Turkish police detained 62 people over talleged Thodex exit scam also arresting some siblings of then missing CEO .
