Twenty-five suspects, publicly known as artists, actors, businesspeople and venue operators, have been detained as part of a drug investigation launched by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in Istanbul on Thursday.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said the investigation was conducted as part of efforts to combat narcotics that threaten public health and safety. It noted that authorities had obtained evidence supporting reasonable suspicion that the suspects had used narcotic and stimulant substances, facilitated their use and provided locations for their consumption.
The Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command was instructed to detain the 25 suspects, carry out searches and biological examinations, record their statements and bring them before the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office following the procedures.
Those detained as part of the investigation are Akın Altan, Asude Mercan, Ateş Ince, Aybüke Albere, Ayşe Nur Balcı, Buğra Balkaya, Burak Çelik, Büşra Tatar (Canbaz), Cenk Çöteli, Feyza Cihan, Gökhan Şafak, Hazal Eylem Ipek Şafak, Hilal Zeynep Hedbe, Ilyas Yalçıntaş, Irem Haznedar, Kübra Altay, Mehmet Fatih Aksoy, Melis Selçukoğlu, Oğuz Alp Güler, Orhan Yıldız, Öner Faruk Işık, Sıla Gençoğlu, Şefik Ömer Dolman, Ümit Aslan and Volkan Büyükhanlı.
The latest detentions come amid a series of high-profile narcotics investigations targeting figures from Türkiye's entertainment and business sectors. In recent months, prosecutors have launched multiple operations involving well-known singers, actors, influencers and businesspeople as authorities intensify their crackdown on drug-related offenses.
