The largest operation in the history of the Turkish Republic to seize contraband alcohol was carried out in Antalya. This made it possible to prevent possible incidents in the form of blindness and deaths among all-inclusive tourists. According to Turizm Ajansi, 3.5 million bottles of illegal alcoholic beverages were seized during the operation.
It is known that employees of the Department for Combating Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM), acting on the instructions of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Antalya, conducted searches at warehouses in the Muratpasha area. The operation was organized after receiving information about the storage of a large amount of contraband alcohol intended for sale in hotels at the beginning of the tourist season.
“This volume of contraband alcohol is the largest ever seized at one time in the history of the Republic. Tax losses have been prevented, which are estimated at 60 million liras” (163 million rubles at the current exchange rate).
The most alarming thing: local authorities reported that the seized drinks could cause serious poisoning, up to blindness and deaths among tourists. And all because, as the prosecutor noted, “contraband alcohol contains dangerous substances that can cause irreparable harm to health, especially if consumed in large quantities.”
As a result of the operation, a criminal case was opened against two suspects on charges of violating Law No. 5607 on combating smuggling. Turkish authorities have urged tourists to be careful when choosing alcoholic beverages in hotels and other holiday destinations to avoid health risks.
Recall that the most high–profile counterfeit case – and one that directly and tragically affected Russian tourism – happened far before the current crisis: on May 27, 2011, participants of promotional tours for travel agencies organized by tour operators Mostravel and Coral Travel died due to “burnt” alcohol. The day after the Evening Yacht tour, most of the participants were hospitalized with suspected methyl alcohol poisoning. On May 30, one of the participants of the ill-fated cruise, Maria Chaliapina, died in the Antalya resort hospital. Aigul Zalyaeva followed her, and on May 31, a third girl, 20–year-old Marina Sheveleva, died in a Moscow hospital. A week later, Russian Alexander Zhuchkov died in a hospital in the Turkish city of Pamukkale, who was diagnosed by doctors with “severe alcohol intoxication”, which led to cardiac arrest. The Turkish perpetrators received prison sentences of up to 90 years. Read the details at the link.
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