Smuggled alcohol in Istanbul killed 23 people in 48 hours, officials said

The Turkish authorities announced on Wednesday that 23 people died within 48 hours in Istanbul after drinking contaminated alcoholic drinks.

Turkish officials said at least 43 others were hospitalized – 32 of them in intensive care. Since the start of the new year, a total of 34 people have died from the effects of illicit alcohol, they said. It is believed that alcohol contaminated with methanol is the cause.

Methanol is a substance often added to alcohol to increase its potency. It is often used in illegally produced products instead of ethanol because it is cheaper, according to a study I looked at Illegal alcohol production in southern TürkiyeIt can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

There was no immediate comment from the Turkish Ministry of Health.

Cases of poisoning from completely adulterated alcohol Common in TürkiyePrivate production rose as the authorities imposed taxes on alcoholic beverages.

In 2024, 110 people became ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Istanbul, and 48 of them died, according to government officials.

Turkey’s anise-flavored national drink, raki, is the most popular. The price jumped to about 1,300 liras ($37.20) per liter in supermarkets. On January 1, Türkiye raised the country’s minimum wage to 22,104 liras ($600).

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was elected in 2014 and previously served as prime minister of the country’s ruling party, played a key role in Amending the alcohol law in Türkiye. Since 2013, Türkiye has banned advertisements promoting alcohol, banned alcohol brands from sponsoring events, and banned scenes depicting alcohol abuse in the media.