Bootleg alcohol deaths in capital Ankara increase to 65

The number of deaths due to consumption of counterfeit alcohol in Turkish capital Ankara increased to 65 since December 2024.

Sunday February 23 2025 12:52 am

Duvar English

With the announcement of two recent deaths on Feb. 22, the number of bootleg alcohol deaths in the capital Ankara has increased to 65 since December 2024.

The number of patients receiving treatment due to counterfeit alcohol poisoning and currently in intensive care has been reported as 15. The average age of those who lost their lives due to counterfeit alcohol consumption is 60.

In the past three months, 56 operations have been carried out in seven provinces including Ankara, resulting in the detention of 155 suspects, 35 of whom have been arrested. Judicial control measures were imposed on 37 of the detained suspects.

During the operations, authorities seized 19,935 bottles of counterfeit alcohol ready for sale, estimated to be worth 150 million Turkish liras ($4,13M), along with seven ethanol distillation boilers and 240 tons of ethyl and methyl alcohol used in the production of counterfeit liquor.

The high methanol content in illicitly produced alcohol, commonly made in unlicensed facilities referred to as underground workshops, has been identified as the cause of fatalities.

Additionally, the type of ethyl alcohol used in these facilities was found to be unsuitable for consumption and intended primarily for industrial use.

The price of alcoholic beverages has rocketed in recent years due to heavy taxes imposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Islamist-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). Alcoholic drinks makers have also faced an increasingly onerous tax burden and other restrictions.

The high costs have pushed some consumers and shops, restaurants, and bars to rely on bootleg alcohol and homemade drinks, leading to rising poisoning in recent years.

The government again hiked taxes on alcohol and tobacco products for 2025 on Jan. 3.