Several Turkish celebrities have been detained in Istanbul as part of an anti-drug investigation launched in recent months in Turkey for alleged drug-related crimes, but which also includes illegal gambling and prostitution, and which also resulted a few days ago in the arrest of the famous Turkish actor Can Yaman.
As reported in the last few hours by the Turkish daily Hürriyet, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for six suspects, including the well-known Turkish actor Oktay Kaynarca, singers Emel Müftüoğlu and Neda Şahin, as well as businessman Ali Sert, singer Rabia Karataş and Turkish influencer and businesswoman Selen Çetinkaya.
The investigation, carried out by the Smuggling, Narcotics and Economic Crimes Unit of the public prosecutor’s office, includes charges against the detainees for “possession of narcotic substances or stimulants for personal consumption”, “facilitation of drug use”, “incitement, intermediation or provision of spaces for prostitution” and “provision of places and means for illegal gambling“.
In the framework of this investigation and on the orders of the public prosecutor’s office, teams from the Narcotics Crimes Division and the Provincial Command of the Gendarmerie carried out an operation in Istanbul; the detainees were taken to a hospital for a medical examination and then to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, where hair, blood and urine samples were taken before they were brought before the court.
The famous actor Oktay Kaynarca was the first to speak out publicly after his arrest: “My conscience is clear, I hold my head high,” he said, while announcing that the public will be informed once the forensic analysis of the hair, blood and urine samples submitted has been completed. “I have been fighting against drugs for years and I support all legal operations in this area,” the actor insisted.
New revelations about Turkish singer Selen Görgüzel
Meanwhile, a statement made to the public prosecutor’s office by actress and singer Selen Görgüzel, who was arrested on Saturday 10 January and subsequently released under judicial supervision for allegedly inciting “prostitution” and “buying, accepting or possessing narcotic or stimulant substances for consumption, or consumption of narcotic or stimulant substances”, has been released to the media. During her statement, she was shown photographs taken abroad on board a private jet with another suspect, Turkish influencer Rabia Karaca.
In her testimony, Görgüzel claimed that she boarded the plane after a holiday in northern Cyprus: a trip she said was organised by the now detained singer Emel Müftüoğlu, adding that Müftüoğlu received casino chips from Murat Gülibrahimoğlu, a fugitive in the criminal investigation linked to İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul currently in prison for a corruption investigation.
According to Görgüzel, the two gambled large sums of money: “I only found out later that the plane I returned in was the private jet used by Ekrem İmamoğlu. If I had known, I would not have used it,” the singer said, adding that she recalled that Gülibrahimoğlu and several young women continued to play in a private room on the plane. Görgüzel however denied allegations that she had encouraged prostitution, assuring investigators that when she saw young girls frequently going to the private room – located at the back of the plane – where Gülibrahimoğlu was, she warned them that “they were letting themselves be used”.
Selen Görgüzel, 46, is a well-known figure on television in Turkey and a regular in the tabloids; she has more than a million followers on social media, has participated in the Turkish version of ‘Survivor’, and her controversial beauty treatments – which include the use of human semen – have been the subject of several social scandals.
The actress was arrested on 10 January along with Turkish celebrity actor Can Yaman, who was arrested by police during a raid on several nightclubs in Istanbul for allegedly using drugs, and spent the night in custody. The drug investigation is part of a wider case launched last October against alleged drug networks involving prominent Turkish celebrities and personalities, including actors, singers, influencers and businessmen, which has so far resulted in multiple high-profile arrests.
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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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