Big problem of fake alcohol in Turkey; government scared of effect on tourism industry

Pars Today - Istanbul has turned into the biggest center of underground production of fake alcoholic drinks, but nearly 2 million liters of this substance is seized and at least 500 people die per year as a result of consuming fake drinks.

The waning days of 2024 and early days of 2025 began in Turkey with the news of the rise in the number of the victims of fake alcoholic drinks. According to Pars Today, quoting from Tasnim news agency, tens of people were sent to hospitals and medical centers due to consumption of the products of a huge network of making and sale of fake drinks. 37 of them died, 17 people lost their sight and 22 others are still in the ICU.

This is among the terrible examples of the upsurge in the number of fake alcohol victims in Turkey. But, experts believe that at least 500 lose their lives annually in the country while conditions get worse on a daily basis.

The news of death toll of fake alcohol consumption is released in Turkey while some criminal gangs have tried for the recent years to transfer such products clandestinely to the neighboring countries.

11,000 bottles of fake drinks worth 10 million Liras were seized in a house at Bayram Pasha neighborhood of Istanbul during the recent days. Moreover, an investigation in the city of Bursa led to discovery of an illegal underground workshop in a house in which more than 5 tons of fake drinks had been produced and packed for market.

In the last day of 2024, a total of 30,000 liters of fake drinks and some equipment worth more than $1 million were seized by police during 4 simultaneous operations in Ankara.

Turkish interior minister announced that 55 producers of fake drinks were arrested and their workshops and equipment were confiscated within a week during simultaneous police operations in 26 provinces.

Turkish ministry of agriculture has put the name of one of the top factories of alcoholic drinks in the list of the industries which are fraudulently playing with people's health.

But this famous factory announced, "The bottles, trademark and everything is correct. But the content does not concern us. It seems that a secret mafia has been successful in gathering hundreds of empty bottles of our factory and filling them with fake drinks to discredit us."

The news shows that even the bestseller Turkish brands with hundreds of millions of dollars of export revenues are at stake.

Time for foreign tourists to worry

Death due to consumption of fake drink has made everyone to protest.

Ali Yerlikaya, Turkish Minister of Interior Affairs, had focused the entire capability of his ministry and police force on priorities such as the mafia of narcotics, weapons and human trafficking for the past year, but now has been forced to order several extensive police operations.

For instance, one hundred producers of fake drinks were arrested only in Istanbul during a week. But, many examples of distribution of fake drinks have been reported in the cities of Ankara, Antalya, Samson, Mersin and Izmir, too.

One may think that this scale of countering producers of fake drinks by the Turkish police and ministry of interior is being done with the aim of safeguarding the health of citizens, while these rigid measures have two reasons: First, the release of the news of death due to fake drink has a negative effect on Turkish tourism. Second, although it is a Muslim country, the Turkish government earns gargantuan revenues from heavy taxes levied on production and sale of drinks!!! Thus, production of fake drinks will destroy these revenues.

The tax levied on alcoholic drinks sale, the tax levied on the value added and other revenues of the government related to production, distribution and exports of drinks are often 45-65 percent of the early product, hence, the price is twice for the consumer.

Turkish economic experts and activists have no clear information on the issue, either. They maintain that it is turning into a national challenge.

Bendevi Palandoken, President of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), said, "Free sale of ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol) and easy access to this substance at drug stores, shops and on the internet have led people to production of drinks at home. This threatens human health and inflicts high damages on the government. We are going through a period in which 500 people die annually because of this."

This Turkish economic activist added, "Approximately 15 million liters of fake alcohol have been seized for the past 10 years. But, this is a part of the final product and manifold have been sold. Fake alcohol not only harms human health, but also inflicts high economic damages on the government and the government sustains 10 billion Liras loss annually."

Finally, while even the Turkish media and officials have warned several times about the hazards of fake drinks in the country, some dealers of death continue to make efforts for transferring fake drinks to Iraq, Iran and Syria.

RM/MG