Enes Batur, one of Turkey’s most popular YouTubers with more than 16 million subscribers, was detained at İstanbul Airport on Thursday after returning home from abroad, as part of a drug investigation led by İstanbul prosecutors.
Batur had been the subject of a detention warrant issued in connection with the probe. He was taken into custody by gendarmes upon entering Turkey.
The investigation has already resulted in the detention of 11 people, including well-known figures such as comedian Hasan Can Kaya, singer Yusuf Aktaş, who goes by the stage name “Reynmen,” and rapper Emirhan Çakal, according to Turkish media reports.
Before returning to Turkey, Batur said in a statement shared on social media that he was abroad for pre-planned video shoots and denied any connection to the alleged offenses.
“I do not have clear information about the content of the investigation. I am abroad for scheduled video productions. I will return to my country at the end of this process and cooperate within the legal framework,” he wrote, asking that misleading and unverified information not be taken into account.
The development comes amid a sweeping investigation into alleged online drug networks that authorities say used encrypted messaging apps and social media platforms to coordinate sales and evade police detection.
Earlier this week authorities detained 305 people in simultaneous raids across 14 provinces after detention warrants were issued for 346 suspects. Prosecutors said administrators and moderators of closed online groups were identified as facilitating drug trafficking and encouraging drug use.
The probe has expanded in recent weeks to include business owners, social media influencers and media figures. Among those arrested last week was Ali Kaya, the brother of Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, the wife of jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Kaya was jailed on charges of facilitating drug use.
İmamoğlu, a leading figure in the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been jailed since March 2025 in cases his party and critics describe as politically motivated.