Bootleg alcohol in Istanbul has killed 23 people in 48 hours, officials say

Twenty-three people in Istanbul have died in 48 hours after drinking tainted alcohol, authorities said Wednesday.

At least 43 others were hospitalized — 32 of them in intensive care — Turkish officials said. Since the start of the new year, they said a total of 34 people have died from the effects of bootleg alcohol. Alcohol tainted with methanol is thought to be the cause.

Methanol is a substance that’s often added to alcohol to increase its potency. It’s often used in illegally produced products instead of ethanol because it’s cheaper, according to a study which looked at illegally produced alcohol in southern Turkey, and it can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

There was no immediate comment from Turkey’s Ministry of Health.

Poisonings from adulterated alcohol are quite common in Turkey, where private production has shot up as authorities crank up taxes on alcoholic drinks.

In 2024, 110 people fell ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Istanbul, of whom 48 died, according to government officials.

Turkey’s anise-flavored national liquor, Raki, is most commonly counterfeited. The price has leapt to around 1,300 lira ($37.20) per liter in supermarkets. On Jan. 1, Turkey increased the country’s minimum wage to 22,104 lira ($600).

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was elected in 2014 and previously served as prime minister of the country’s ruling party, played a major role in amending Turkey’s alcohol legislation. Since 2013, Turkey has forbidden advertisements promoting alcohol, prohibited alcoholic brands from sponsoring events, and banned scenes depicting alcohol use in media.