In Istanbul, 11 people died within a day due to poisoning from counterfeit alcohol. According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, 38 victims sought medical assistance, 26 of whom were foreign nationals.
The agency reported that 11 of those hospitalized could not be saved. The Uzbek Consulate General confirmed that five of the deceased were Uzbek citizens. They had purchased alcohol in the Aksaray district.
The first cases of poisoning were recorded in late November 2024. By early 2025, the death toll had exceeded 37 people. Law enforcement authorities have detained 36 suspects involved in the production and sale of counterfeit alcohol, with 14 of them under arrest. During inspections of more than 1,000 shops and establishments, authorities confiscated over 287 tons of counterfeit products.
