Authorities in Turkey have taken into custody 11 well-known figures from society and the cultural world in recent hours as part of an operation targeting drug use and trafficking, which has led to a series of detentions and arrests since late 2025. The detention warrants in this latest anti-drug raid include singer Emir Can İğrek, Turkish actor Burak Deniz, musician Mert Demir, and Turkish actresses Büşra Pekin and Hafsanur Sancaktutan.
The Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Istanbul in Anatolia (the Asian side of the city) announced today that, in coordination with the Narcotics Division of the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie, detention warrants were issued against a total of 14 suspects for the offences of “purchasing, accepting or possessing narcotic or stimulant substances for personal consumption, or using such substances” as well as for “supplying narcotic or stimulant substances”, in an operation targeting several Turkish celebrities.
In a series of simultaneous raids carried out this morning to apprehend the suspects, a total of 11 people were taken into custody, whilst two of those allegedly involved remain at large and one is abroad, according to the Turkish news channel TRT Haber.
Singers, actors, influencers and famous chefs among those arrested
Among the well-known figures arrested today are the actress Hafsanur Sancaktutan, the singer Emir Can İğrek, the actress Serra Pirinç, the content creator and influencer Ogün Alibaş, music producer Utku Ünsal, actress Elif Büşra Pekin, model and actor Burak Deniz, singer Mert Demir, Turkish singer-songwriter Emre Öztürk (Fel), well-known rapper Ender Eroğlu, and influencer Enes Güler.
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have issued an detention warrant for the famous Turkish chef Somer Sivrioğlu and the actresses Sinem Özenç Ünsal and Ahsen Eroğlu. Furthermore, the singer Yusuf Güney, who had already been detained in another anti-drug operation carried out last December and tested positive for drugs, has been detained again after being accused of promoting the use of narcotic substances.
This operation, which is a continuation of the investigation into drug use and sale carried out on 8 October and which sparked a major scandal in Turkey as it involved dozens of celebrities, comes just days after a previous wave of arrests carried out earlier this week that included famous Turkish singers and actors such as Simge Sağın, Mustafa Ceceli, Bengü Erden and Melek Mosso. Although most were released after undergoing forensic tests on their hair and blood, some of those initially detained were subject to judicial measures such as a ban on leaving the country.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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