ISTANBUL, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police detained at least 51 people for producing and selling bootleg alcohol in wide-scale operations across the country, Ihlas news agency reported Friday.
The Istanbul Police Department's anti-smuggling units launched the operations against 63 suspected members of an illegal alcohol network in seven provinces including Istanbul.
The teams have so far detained 51 of them and seized six tons of counterfeit alcohol, six distilleries, a rifle, and a gun in the raids.
Operations are going on to catch the remaining suspects, according to Ihlas.
The Istanbul police have seized 88 tons of fake alcohol and 16,500 bottles of fake liqueur ready for sale in operations conducted during the last six months.
In October, more than 40 people died, and over 50 others were hospitalized after consuming bootleg alcohol in several Turkish provinces. Enditem
