Turkish prosecutors have detained four more people as part of an expanding drug investigation targeting figures from the media and entertainment sectors, including a columnist for the pro-government Hürriyet daily, the Euronews Turkish edition reported on Tuesday.
The detentions were carried out as part of an investigation led by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, which since October 2025 has conducted a series of operations into allegations including possession of narcotics for personal use, facilitating drug use, encouraging or mediating prostitution and providing venues or opportunities for gambling, involving celebrities and social media figures.
Among those detained are Hürriyet columnist Mehmet Üstündağ and social media personality Bilal Hancı as well as businessmen Abdullah Gençal and İbrahim Barut. Prosecutors also issued detention warrants for three other suspects, who were found to be abroad, Euronews said.
Last week police also detained six people, including actor Oktay Kaynarca and singer Emel Müftüoğlu. Two of the suspects were arrested, while Kaynarca and Müftüoğlu were released under judicial supervision with a travel ban.
In a separate operation on January 15, prosecutors detained 18 people, including former national football player Ümit Karan, on charges such as drug trafficking, facilitating drug use and encouraging or mediating prostitution.
The latest detentions are part of a broader series of drug operations launched in İstanbul in recent months that have increasingly involved figures from the television, music and media sectors.
Earlier phases of the investigation saw dozens of suspects detained or arrested on similar charges, with some later released after providing statements and biological samples.
Critics say the investigations are aimed at creating the perception that the government is waging a serious anti-drug campaign regardless of who is involved, while focusing on street-level dealers and users rather than those alleged to be involved in large-scale drug trafficking.
According to a 2025 report by the Turkish police, Turkey has moved beyond its traditional role as a transit route for illegal drugs and has increasingly become both a destination market and a production hub, particularly for synthetic substances. The report documented a sharp increase in drug-related operations, with dozens of facilities discovered in İstanbul alone.
Turkey lies on major land and sea routes linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe, and officials say traffickers are increasingly using the country not only to move drugs onward but also to process and manufacture them.
Drug-related deaths rose 42 percent to 427 in 2024, with synthetic cannabinoids and methamphetamine the most frequently detected substances in fatal cases, according to the report.