Contact-tracing team mobilized as bootleg alcohol deaths rise in Ankara

Mesut Hasan Benli – ANKARA

Amid a surge in fatalities linked to counterfeit alcohol, Ankara authorities have deployed a contract-tracing team to track down individuals who may have consumed tainted liquor.

The use of contact tracing, a method widely employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, has now been adapted for this public crisis.

Ordered by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the team comprised of police and gendarmerie officers is identifying and warning those who had recent contact with suspects involved in illicit alcohol sales.

The initiative comes as the death toll reaches 59, with 35 people still in intensive care.

The investigation into illicit alcohol production and distribution has led to the arrest of 28 suspects, while 25 others have been placed under judicial control. Prosecutors have ordered a review of the suspects’ phone records, identifying individuals they recently contacted.

The newly formed tracing team has reached out to these individuals, inquiring whether they have consumed alcohol and warning them of potential poisoning risks.

Those who admitted to consuming alcohol supplied by the suspects were advised to seek immediate medical attention.

Authorities reported that, so far, 34 individuals have been identified through the process.

The team has also expanded its efforts to locate other potential victims within the identified individuals’ circles.

The investigation, conducted on charges of “smuggling” and “causing death with probable intent,” has incorporated toxicology reports from the Forensic Medicine Institute.

Meanwhile, detained suspects have denied wrongdoing, claiming they were consumers rather than distributors.

One suspect, Veysel K., refuted allegations of supplying counterfeit alcohol to his deceased friend and said, “I only consume what I produce myself. I bear no responsibility for his death.”