Nineteen people, including a rock star and other prominent figures from Turkey’s entertainment industry, have been detained in İstanbul as part of an expanding drug investigation, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
Kaan Tangöze, the lead singer of the rock band Duman, was among those taken into custody.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday that the probe is being conducted by its Smuggling, Narcotics and Financial Crimes Investigation Bureau.
Among those detained were also singer Murat Dalkılıç, actor İsmail Hacıoğlu and photographer and singer Kemal Doğulu in addition to a model and several businesspeople.
The prosecutor’s office said police conducted coordinated search, seizure and detention operations targeting 25 suspects over alleged drug use and possession, facilitating drug use and prostitution-related offenses under the Turkish Penal Code.
“As part of the operation, 17 suspects have been detained. It has been determined that one suspect is abroad, and efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects are ongoing. …” the statement said.
Later in the day, the number of detainees was reported to have risen to 19. A detention warrant was also issued for popular singer Edis Görgülü.
Under Turkish law, drug-related crimes can carry prison sentences of up to five years. In cases involving first-time personal use, courts often opt for suspended sentences or treatment programs rather than incarceration.
The case is 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 waves of the investigation saw dozens of suspects detained or arrested on similar charges, with some later released after providing statements and biological samples.
Critics claim that high-profile drug investigations are sometimes widely publicized, while law enforcement fails to sufficiently target large-scale trafficking networks.
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 uncovered in İstanbul alone.
Some also see political undertones in cases involving celebrities, saying they may reflect broader cultural tensions in Turkey under the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been ruling Turkey since 2002.