Istanbul, Jan 16 The death toll from bootleg alcohol in Istanbul has reached 30, local media reported on Thursday, sparking a crackdown on illicit production and sales.
The NTV reported that 30 people, including foreign nationals, died in the past 72 hours after consuming counterfeit alcohol, while 49 others remain hospitalised, 31 in critical condition.
The Istanbul Governor's Office announced raids at multiple sites, detaining six suspects linked to large-scale counterfeit alcohol distribution. Two were charged with intentional homicide and imprisoned, while legal proceedings continue for the others.
Authorities compared those involved in the counterfeit trade to "terrorists who kill people" and confirmed the seizure of 29 tonnes of illicit alcohol and the closure of 64 illegal businesses this year.
In a related move, the Turkish government tightened regulations on alcohol storage on Thursday, requiring official approval for storage facilities and banning shared or improperly located warehouses.
The governorate reported 110 hospitalisations and 48 deaths in 2024 from tainted alcohol, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier on January 9, a total of 46 suspects were detained in nationwide operations across Turkey targeting counterfeit alcohol producers, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
The operation, dubbed 'Hook-16', was conducted by gendarmerie teams who raided four illegal alcohol factories involved in smuggling and producing fake alcoholic beverages, Yerlikaya said on the social media platform X, without specifying the time frame of the operation.
The authorities seized a total of 50,105 litres of counterfeit and ethyl alcohol, along with 4,000 counterfeit tax stamps during the operations, he said.
With the price of legitimate alcoholic beverages remaining high, bootleg alcohol had thrived in Turkey, creating an opportunity for criminal groups to profit by smuggling illicit drinks. These illegal producers often turned to cheaper and more dangerous substances, which had contributed to a rising death toll from counterfeit alcohol consumption in recent years.
Last month, the Istanbul Governor's Office revealed that since the beginning of November, 37 people had died from poisoning due to consuming counterfeit alcohol in the city.
"In the investigations related to alcohol poisoning incidents, proceedings were initiated against 36 suspects who had provided counterfeit alcohol," the office said, adding that 14 of the suspects had been arrested.
The Anti-Smuggling and Organised Crime Branch of the Istanbul Police Department had been cracking down on the production and sale of counterfeit alcohol. The police had confiscated significant amounts of fake alcoholic drinks, as well as banderoles, labels, and other materials used for producing counterfeit alcohol.
As a result, more than two dozen businesses had received fines for participating in the illegal production and sale of these counterfeit products.
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