A second wave operation was organized in the investigation against the Friends Association and 39 suspects were detained in two operations. Among those detained was the president of the association, Haluk Levent. The artist is accused of violating the law on associations, laundering assets resulting from crime, and membership in an organization. The Chief Public Prosecutor's Office reported that approximately 120 million lira money flow was detected from the association's safe to suspicious accounts, and the MASAK report highlighted account movements and qualified fraud investigation.
The origins of cryptocurrency bets date back to 2024. Nigella World, which sells black cumin capsules and oil, was founded by Fatih Eke and created its own chain, wallet and staking system. The network's coin rose as high as $105 on October 8, 2024, then melted sharply, and those who bought it at the peak lost big money. Haluk Levent argued that he did not advertise coins at that time, but only promoted Nigella World's organic agriculture projects, and that this was perceived as a coin. As the claims of damage grew, some of the victims went to the courthouse and filed a lawsuit.
In his long post on his social media account on June 24, Haluk Levent stated that he started to pay the damages of 1052 crypto victims, even though he had nothing to do with it, and that even if there was a 1 percent mistake, he took responsibility and covered everyone's losses. While the artist reiterated that he did not advertise crypto, he said that the economic trouble he was in was due to his personal HLKCHAIN investment and these payments, and that he delayed his payments to many places and made payment plans.
The artist argued that his personal debts should not be confused with the Dude Association. He stated that the association's accounts are audited every year by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and that an agreement has been reached with the international auditing company Grant Thornton for all accounts since the earthquake period. The court also fined Haluk Levent approximately 70 million liras for two bad checks written in 2025.
With the news of the detention, HLK Coin crashed once again. The coin, which has lost almost all of its value since its peak, dropped from around $0.16 to $0.035 on the day the artist was transferred to custody, and has fallen by approximately 80 percent in the last week. The loss of crypto money in the last year exceeded 90 percent and the investor suffered heavy losses again.
Prison process is not new in Haluk Levent's career. The artist was caught in Antalya in 1997 for the crime of a bad check and spent about nine months in prison. In 2010, he was imprisoned again due to his final sentence for fraud and a bad check.