Former Beşiktaş chairman Fikret Orman and former Galatasaray chairman Burak Elmas are among 14 people detained in an expanding drug investigation in İstanbul, prosecutors said on Wednesday, with detention warrants issued for a total of 16 suspects, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that the investigation was launched “to protect public morality, the structure of society and the family order.”
Detention warrants were issued for individuals suspected of possessing drugs for personal use or facilitating drug use.
Police carried out simultaneous raids at 16 locations across İstanbul, detaining 14 suspects, while detention warrants remain outstanding for two others, according to the statement.
The detainees also include businessman Hakan Sabancı and former models Güzide Duran and Didem Soydan, along with several other individuals from business and social circles.
Actress Hande Erçel is among the two suspects subject to a detention warrant and is believed to be abroad.
In a statement shared on social media, she said she learned of the investigation through media reports and would return to Turkey to testify and clarify the situation.
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 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 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.