418 bottles of fake booze seized in İzmir raid

İZMİR – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

More than 400 bottles of bootleg booze have been seized in the Aegean province of İzmir, with three suspects detained for producing counterfeit drinks.

Some 418 bottles of bootleg rakı, a Turkish liquor made of anise, and 750 liters of bottled ethyl alcohol used in booze making were seized in İzmir’s Konak district on Dec. 16 after İzmir Police Department Trafficking Unit officers raided a warehouse rented about a month ago for booze making and detained three suspects upon a comprehensive physical and technical surveillance.

The three, identified only by the initials T.Ç., O.C., and N.V., were reported to be ahead of marketing counterfeit rakı they produced in the two-story warehouse in a food bazaar in Konak to supermarkets for their placement in New Year’s Eve assortment.

Ten liters of anise, 21,000 bottle stickers, 1,010 empty bottles, two 200-liter-tanks were among those police officers seized during the raid.

The raid came amid efforts Turkey has stepped up in fight against counterfeit booze makers following dozens of deaths from bootleg alcohol poisoning.

The number of people who have died after drinking bootleg alcohol in İzmir has reportedly risen to 11.

A number of deaths have also occurred in Istanbul over the past few months as a result of bootleg alcohol.

The scandal erupted in late October, as news surfaced that dozens of people had died from drinking counterfeit rakı.

Tax hikes on alcohol over recent years have been slammed by alcohol distributors and critics of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) alike, with many claiming they are part of a bid to impose conservative Islamic restrictions on Turkish society.