Turkish police seize 7,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol in tourist resort

Police have seized some 7,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol from a hotel in Bodrum, the popular Aegean tourist destination. Two suspects were detained in the operation on Jan. 30. Also on the same day, gendarmerie units raided a house in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, where they also detained two people. Hikes on alcohol taxes have caused surges in bootleg alcohol production in Turkey.

Duvar English

Turkish police have seized 7,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol during a raid in a hotel in the popular seaside destination of Bodrum in the Aegean province of Muğla.

Upon receiving information regarding a hotel stocking bootleg alcohol to serve tourists in summer, police units carried out a raid late on Jan. 30.

In addition to seizing 7,000 bottles of alcohol, police detained two people, who were identified by their initials as S.C. and M.K.

Also on Jan. 30, gendarmerie forces carried out an operation in the Kepez district of the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

The operation was launched after it was determined that two plumbers had been using a house to manufacture bootleg alcohol.

The raid was carried out following three months of technical and physical tracking.

Some 853 bottles of bootleg alcohol, 580 liters of ethyl alcohol and thousands of empty bottles were seized in the operation.

The plumbers, identified only as H.U. and K.P., were detained in the operation.

Hikes on alcohol taxes have caused surges in bootleg alcohol production in Turkey.

Following a hike in deaths related to bootleg alcohol that took place throughout last summer, Turkish authorities conducted raids that saw liters of contraband alcohol, paraphernalia and empty bottles of brand-name alcoholic beverages getting seized.

Produced with methyl-alcohol instead of the human-consumable ethyl-alcohol, "fake" alcoholic beverages may cause fatal poisoning.