40 tons of bootlegged alcoholic beverages seized in Turkey's İzmir

Police in the Aegean province of İzmir seized at least 40 tons of bootlegged rakı and whiskey and 100 tons of raw materials used in the production of alcoholic beverages, in a raid on Feb. 27, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The raid was conducted in the Bornova and Kemalpaşa districts, while police officers said the amount of the seized bootlegged beverages were the largest amount to have ever been apprehended. 

Preparations for the raid were started by the police three months ago. They were informed about a depot in the Bornova district where beverages were being produced.  

After technically and physically tracking the suspects, police detected that they used the depots for stockpiling the beverages but not for production.

The suspects allegedly obtained raw material from boilers in chemical factories in Kemalpaşa, which were producing and stocking beverages. 

The suspects started to produce and bootleg beverages at the depot almost one month ago. Police identified the suspects and carried out simultaneous operations to their addresses in Kemalpaşa and Bornova. The police detained eight suspects, while released four of them after their testimonies.

Police seized 32 tons of rakı and eight tons of whiskey as well as numbers of tonner plastic tanks, one water tower, two measuring devices, one steam engine, and one water engine. 

Police also seized 100 tons of raw materials, including flammable liquid, in a chemical factory in Kemalpaşa, which they said was "suspicious."

The value for the seized bootlegged beverages was reportedly at least 10 million Turkish Liras.