December is now officially the deadliest month for bootleg alcohol drinkers. Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 29, 84 people died of bootleg liquor consumption, according to the latest figures, while dozens are still hospitalized. The latest deaths were in the southern provinces of Antalya and Kahramanmaraş on Wednesday, where two people died in each province.
Istanbul leads in casualties, which rose to 23 this week after another person died in the city's Esenyurt district after consuming a deadly beverage. On Dec. 17, the governorate had announced 22 people, including 11 foreigners, died in the city. The southern province of Mersin followed Istanbul with 10 casualties this month, while 11 others are still being treated. Ten people had died in Gaziantep, another southern province, and Kahramanmaraş. Other deaths were reported in Sivas, Tekirdağ, Sakarya, Konya, the capital Ankara, Kocaeli, Ordu, Yalova, Erzincan, Aksaray, Zonguldak, Muğla, Adıyaman, Eskişehir, Tokat, Uşak and Aydın.
Bootleg alcohol deaths are common in the country where more people turn to illegally produced drinks due to the high prices of alcoholic beverages. Drinkers often buy the drinks from unlicensed sellers, though some legal vendors also secretly sell the illegally produced drinks. Some deaths, meanwhile, are blamed on homemade drinks the victims brewed themselves.
Authorities had stepped up a crackdown on bootleg drinks recently, ahead of the New Year when alcohol consumption rises considerably. Tons of bootleg and smuggled drinks were seized in the nationwide operations while suspects selling and producing them were detained.
