Turkey has issued a warning to avoid bootleg alcohol in the country after around 103 people were reported to have been fatally poisoned in two major cities since the new year. According to the Independent, all deaths happened in Ankara and Istanbul, after authorities warned about a rising death toll tied to an increase in illegal alcohol being sold disguised as big-name brands. In Istanbul, 70 people have died since January 14, and in Ankara, 33 have died since January 1. Across the two cities, another 230 were hospitalised in connection with the poisoned “booze” with 40 of those in critical condition, officials said.
In Turkey, the price of alcohol has spiked in the last few years due to heavy taxes imposed by President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party. Alcoholic drink makers have also faced an increasingly onerous tax burden and other restrictions, the outlet reported. Moreover, the Turkish government has again hiked taxes on alcohol and tobacco products for 2025 on 3 January.
This high cost has pushed some consumers, shops, restaurants and bars to rely on bootleg alcohol and homemade drinks, leading to rising poisoning in recent years.
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Istanbul’s governor’s office last month said it had taken steps to combat bootleg sales and distribution, including mandatory cameras at shops selling alcohol, suspending or revoking sale licences, and carrying out regular inspections. Authorities have arrested 13 people in Ankara and 11 others in Istanbul. They have also reportedly seized 102 tons of methanol and ethanol in Ankara, and over 86,000 litres of bootleg pr smuggled alcohol in Istanbul, as per The Independent.
Meanwhile, the recent deaths in Turkey come after six tourists, including an American and a backpacker from the United Kingdom, died in Laos after unknowingly consuming methanol-tainted booze. The youngest victim, an Australian woman, was only 19 years old.
