Türkiye detains seven public figures in massive anti-drug operation PHOTO

Turkish authorities detained seven public figures in a large-scale anti-drug operation, including social media personalities Taha Özer and Simge Barankoğlu.

İstanbul’s Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Özer and Barankoğlu were taken into custody overnight, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

During the operation, Fatma Yılmaz, Ebru Arman, Arif İskilip, Heves Güzel, and Eda Alboya were also apprehended.

The investigation revealed that Barankoğlu was also wanted on fraud charges. She had previously been detained in December 2021 during a crackdown on a criminal organisation allegedly involved in social media scams, and a court had ordered her arrest.

Türkiye’s İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has been conducting an expansive drug‑related investigation since early October 2025, initially summoning several singers, actors and influencers for drug tests before shifting to coordinated detentions and forensic sampling as evidence developed.

In multiple waves of this probe, prosecution and gendarmerie teams carried out simultaneous searches of residences, entertainment venues and nightclubs, detaining well‑known personalities and issuing warrants for others believed to be abroad.

The investigation’s focus has included alleged possession and use of narcotics, facilitating drug consumption and related offences; some individuals were later released under judicial control, while others faced equipment seizures and further legal action.

By Jeyhun Aghazada