Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek has confirmed that Richard James Schueler, known publicly as Richard Heart, was detained in Istanbul during an Oct. 14 operation in the city’s Beşiktaş district. Heart, identified in the report as the founder of HEX, was taken into custody alongside his wife and three men described by authorities as bodyguards.

The minister said the operation led to searches at 15 properties across Beşiktaş, Üsküdar and Sarıyer. Turkish authorities reported seizing about $7.15 million in cash, 160,000 Turkish lira, six cryptocurrency cold wallets, firearms, ammunition, electronics and a large volume of luxury goods. Judicial proceedings and examinations of the seized material are continuing.

Operation and detentions

According to Gürlek, Turkish police intelligence units, financial crime investigators and the National Intelligence Organization took part in the operation. The detentions covered five people in total: Heart, his wife and three additional men.

The minister’s statement places the operation on Oct. 14 in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, with follow-on searches extending to multiple addresses in three districts. No public court disposition or extradition filing had been confirmed at the time of the report.

What authorities say they seized

Authorities listed a wide range of items recovered during the searches. The inventory included approximately $7.15 million in U.S. currency, 160,000 Turkish lira and six cryptocurrency cold wallets, though officials did not disclose the contents of those wallets.

The seized property also included 300 bags, 100 pairs of shoes, 136 pairs of glasses, 28 watches and 97 pieces of jewelry. Investigators also reported taking 29 phones, 12 laptops, 11 computer cases, 19 storage drives, 46 USB devices and 19 graphics cards.

In addition, authorities said they recovered seven firearms and 1,400 rounds of ammunition. The report did not state what charges, if any, had been formally filed in Turkey in connection with the items seized.

Legal backdrop in Finland and the United States

The source article says Heart is facing legal challenges in both Finland and the United States. It refers to a Finnish Red Notice tied to alleged aggravated tax fraud involving hundreds of millions of euros.

It also cites a prior U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission case concerning alleged unregistered cryptocurrency offerings. That dispute was dismissed in 2025 on jurisdictional grounds, and the article says no further amendments were made.

What remains unclear

Several key points remain unresolved. Turkish authorities said judicial proceedings involving the five suspects are ongoing, and examinations of the seized materials have not been completed.

The status of the six cold wallets remains unknown because their contents have not been made public. Supporters of Heart have argued that he would receive a fairer process in the United States, while Gürlek said Turkey would not allow the country to be treated as a refuge for people seeking to evade justice.

For now, the next confirmed step is the continuation of judicial review in Turkey. As of the report’s publication, authorities had not publicly confirmed an extradition request or a final court decision.

Source: news.bitcoin.com