Turkey issued a warning to avoid bootleg alcohol in the country after a staggering 103 people were reported to have been fatally poisoned in two major cities since the new year.
All the deaths so far took place in Ankara, the nation’s capital, and Istanbul, Turkish media NTV reported. Authorities were warned about the rising death toll tied to an increase in illegal alcohol being sold disguised as big-name brands.
In Istanbul, 70 people have died since Jan. 14, according to NTV. In Ankara, 33 have died since Jan. 1., NTV reported citing Ankara governor Vasip Sahin.
Across the two cities, another 230 were hospitalized in connection with the poisoned “booze” with 40 of those in critical condition, officials said.
In Turkey, the price of alcohol has spiked in the last few years as a result of harsh taxes set by President Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party. In the Quran, intoxicants, including gambling, are cited as being vices posed by Satan to distract from Allah and are typically prohibited.
Alcohol manufacturers in the nation have also had to deal with increasingly burdensome taxes and other stiff restrictions.
The unyielding costs have forced some consumers and businesses to turn to bootleg alcohol and homemade drinks, which has opened the door to increased instances of drinks being spiked or poisoned.
The growing issue wasn’t helped by yet another tax hike on alcohol and tobacco products set on Jan. 3.
The same month, the Istanbul governor’s office said it had taken steps to battle bootlegging through the mandatory inspections and installation of cameras at shops that distribute alcohol.
So far, authorities have arrested 13 people in Ankara and 11 in Istanbul in connection to the poisonings, NTV reported, citing local governors. In total, a whopping 102 tons of methanol and ethanol were seized in Ankara and another 86,000 liters of bootleg or smuggled alcohol in Istanbul.
The warning comes after six tourists, including an American and a backpacker from the United Kingdom, died in Laos after unknowingly consuming methanol-tainted booze. The youngest victim, an Australian woman, was only 19 years old.
