Authorities in Istanbul carried out a new anti-drug operation this morning as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged drug-related activities involving numerous celebrities. The police operation culminated in the detention of several public figures, including famous Turkish singers and actors such as İbrahim Çelikkol, Melek Mosso, Simge Sağın, Mustafa Ceceli, Ersay Üner and Bengü Erden.
In this new phase of the anti-drug investigation, led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Beykoz (a district on the northern Asian shore of Istanbul), detention warrants were issued for a total of nine public figures, according to the Turkish news channel NTV. Those arrested include the singer Simge Sağın, the well-known film and Turkish TV series actor İbrahim Çelikkol, the musician Melek Mosso, the producer Deha Bilimler, the singers Mustafa Ceceli and Ersay Üner, the singer Bengü Erden, the socialite Aslı Sipahi Hacısüleymanoğlu and the DJ İlkay Şencan.
All of them were taken into police custody in the last few hours; according to the prosecution, the suspects face charges of drug use, possession and distribution, therefore as a result of the evidence gathered and the complaints and information received, these individuals were arrested.
The nine detainees completed the necessary formalities during the morning at the gendarmerie and were subsequently transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Yenibosna (a neighbourhood in western Istanbul), where blood and hair samples were taken from them. After undergoing drug screening tests, the detainees were taken to court to give evidence before the prosecutor, following which – and depending on the public prosecutor’s request – each of those involved in the investigation will either be released or brought before a judge, and may be remanded in custody.
Dozens of celebrities have been taken into custody in Turkey since October
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has carried out numerous anti-drug operations since the investigation launched on 8 October 2025, which sparked a major scandal in the country due to the involvement of well-known singers, actors and influencers. Since then, there have been several waves of detentions in Türkiye in which musicians, singers, managers or businesspeople — many of them well-known public figures — have had to give statements and provide biological samples for toxicological analysis; several of those taken into custody have also ended up in prison due to the seriousness of the charges, which in some cases also include accusations of promoting prostitution.
The latest wave of detentions took place just two weeks ago, when 14 celebrities – including the former president of Beşiktaş, Fikret Orman, the former president of Galatasaray, Burak Elmas, as well as the Turkish model Didem Soydan and the model and TV presenter Güzide Duran – were arrested and forced to provide hair and blood samples. Turkish actress Hande Erçel, who was abroad and against whom a detention warrant had also been issued on the same grounds, agreed to return voluntarily to Turkey a few days later to undergo testing as part of the anti-drug investigation.
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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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