20.05.2025 22:51
In an operation carried out in the Pamukova district of Sakarya, approximately 5 tons of counterfeit kasseri cheese produced under unhealthy conditions were seized. It was determined that the business was reprocessing expired cheeses and offering them for sale.
Approximately 5 tons of fake cheddar cheese, produced under unhealthy conditions in an unregistered facility in the Pamukova district of Sakarya, were seized by gendarmerie and agricultural teams. It was determined that the products, with a market value of about 1.5 million TL, were produced by reprocessing expired cheeses.
THEY DARKENED THE WINDOWS SO NO ONE WOULD SEE
According to the information obtained, following a tip-off about illegal production at a business operating in the Teşvikiye neighborhood of Pamukova, the Sakarya Provincial Gendarmerie Command Intelligence Branch and Pamukova District Gendarmerie Command teams took action. As a result of technical and physical surveillance conducted in coordination with the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, it was determined that the suspicious business darkened its windows to hide its activities and conducted the entry and exit of goods at night.
5 TONS OF CHEDDAR CHEESE SEIZED
In a joint operation coordinated by the Pamukova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on May 13, 2025, around 7:30 PM, 5 tons of cheddar cheese with a market value of approximately 1.5 million TL were seized from a business producing without approval. Investigations revealed that instead of milk, expired or nearly expired cheddar cheeses collected from the market were melted and re-molded for sale.
GLOVED CHEDDAR CHEESE GAVE IT AWAY
It was learned that the scandal dates back to March 2025. Following a complaint made to the Alo Food 174 hotline about a cheddar cheese purchased from a delicatessen containing a glove, an investigation was initiated, which revealed that the product was produced at the same facility. The Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry imposed an administrative fine of 210,622 TL on the business producing without approval.
All seized products were confiscated for destruction. It was learned that the suspect had numerous criminal records for similar offenses in the past, had received administrative fines multiple times, but the fines could not be collected due to the lack of assets. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.