Amid growing concerns over the illegal production and sale of bootleg alcohol in Turkey, the number of deaths in İstanbul from drinking tainted alcohol has risen to 30 in the last 72 hours, with three more victims reported on Thursday, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Eighty-three people have sought medical attention at various hospitals in the city due to alcohol poisoning in the last three days, Anadolu reported, with 30 of them dying, while four others were discharged after treatment.
Thirty-one individuals are currently being treated in intensive care, while 18 more are in regular wards.
Anadolu reported that 26 foreign nationals were among those who sought medical attention in İstanbul and that seven of the victims who died were citizens of Turkmenistan.
The illegal production and sale of bootleg alcohol remain a growing concern in Turkey, where high taxes on alcoholic beverages have driven some consumers to seek cheaper, unsafe alternatives. Bootleg alcohol often contains methanol, a toxic substance that can cause severe poisoning, organ failure or death.
The government introduced a significant increase in the Special Consumption Tax on alcoholic beverages in early 2022, leading to higher prices. The taxes are considered by many in Turkey to be punitive. As most people’s incomes are not sufficient to afford alcohol, many turn to bootleg products.
Çağın Eroğlu, from the Monitoring Platform for the Government’s Alcohol Policy, told the ANKA news agency that due to the price increases of alcoholic beverages, which have reached up to 200 percent of the original price, citizens have normalized the consumption of bootleg alcohol, leading to a significant rise in its black market.
“If access to alcoholic beverages were not so restricted, we can say that these people would not have lost their lives. This simple solution should be on the policymakers’ agenda as soon as possible,” Eroğlu added.
Data from the Trade Ministry in March showed that a total of 7,386 liters of bootleg alcohol were seized in 2023.
Forty-seven people had died in Turkey from drinking bootleg alcohol in 2024.