Fifty-five detained in narcotics raids, including Turkish celebrities

ISTANBUL

Kenan İmirzalıoğlu (C), a former Best Model of the World winner, was detained in the narcotics operation while on vacation. DHA photo

Turkish police staged a coordinated narcotics operation in various cities early Aug.5, detaining 55 people, including several popular figures.

Police have detained actors and musicians including Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, Engin Günaydın, Sarp Apak, Şahin Irmak, Engin Altan Düzyatan, Nehir Erdoğan, Koray Candemir, Gökçe Özyol, Ersin Korkut, Mehmet Erdem, Murat Eken and İlker Aksum as part of the raids in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Muğla, Turkish daily Hürriyet reported on its website.

The famous detainees are alleged to be charged with crimes of “using drugs” and “providing spaces [to use drugs].”

The operation, which led to a total of 55 detentions, was commenced eight months ago when the Narcotics Branch Office started monitoring a drug dealer gang that sold drugs at bars in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş and Sarıyer neighborhood. The monitoring revealed that the celebrities asked for drugs with encrypted words and the dealers brought them to the desired addresses.

The police raided 60 addresses in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir’s Çeşme district and Muğla’s Bodrum district.
While İmirzalıoğlu, who starred in popular shows and movies such as “Deli Yürek,” “Karadayı,” “Yazı Tura” and “Kabadayı,” and a former Best Model of the World winner, was detained in Ankara; Günaydın, a renowned actor, who starred in the comedy show “Yalan Dünya” and won several awards for his performance in the Zeki Demirkubuz movie “Yeraltı,” was detained in Çeşme.

Actress Nehir Erdoğan, actors Sarp Apak, İlker Aksum, Şahin Irmak, Engin Altan Düzyatan, Gökçe Özyol, Ersin Korkut and singer Mehmet Erdem were detained at raids conducted in Istanbul and Bodrum.

Singer Candemir, actor and television show host Düzyatan, actor Eken were among the other popular names that were detained in Çeşme, a holiday district in the Aegean province of İzmir.