Four arrested in bootleg alcohol raid in Antalya

ANTALYA – Anadolu Agency

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Four people were arrested by a local court in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya on Nov. 8 for ties to the production and sale of bootleg alcohol.

An Antalya court ruled the arrest of four suspects, identified only with their initials M.A, Ş.Ç, İ.Y. and M.M., who were among six suspects detained in the city after 560 bottles of bootleg alcohol were seized in an operation.

The two other suspects, A.R.Ç. and S.B., were released by the court pending trial. 

On Nov. 7, Antalya police seized 560 bottles of bootleg alcohol as well as many empty bottles ready to be filled with counterfeit alcohol. 

The operation came after 28 people were determined to have died from bootleg alcohol in Istanbul. The bootleg alcohol crisis erupted in late October amid news that 12 people had died from drinking counterfeit rakı, a type of Turkish liquor made of anise, prompting police to launch operations in four Istanbul districts.

The side effects of the tainted alcohol included delirium, severe stomach aches, vomiting and visual impairment.