United States v. Hakan Adro DMCC, et al.

On January 5, 2023, prosecutors unsealed an indictment charging two Dubai entities and several individuals for their roles in a multimillion-dollar scheme to export non-organic grain into the United States to be sold as certified organic.  

Hakan Agro DMCC and Hakan Organics DMCC, both based in Dubai, and Goksal Beyaz, Nuray Beyaz, and Mustafa Cakiroglu, all of Turkey, were each charged with conspiracy, smuggling, and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 2, 371, 545, 1343). 

Between November 2015 and May 2017, the defendants operated a scheme where Hakan Agro, Hakan Organics, and associated entities purchased non-organic soybeans and corn from Eastern Europe before shipping to the United States as “organic.” This scheme allowed the defendants to charge as much as 50% more for organic grains.