Several governments have issued warnings against Turkey.
Officials in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, have issued a travel warning for Turkey (Türkiye), urging travelers to be vigilant about sourcing alcohol after reports of over a hundred deaths recently were linked to poisoning from unlicensed liquor.
The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), known colloquially as the Foreign Office (which is analogous to the U.S. State Department), has updated its informational pages for Turkey, advising travelers to only buy alcohol from licensed liquor stores, bars, and restaurants. The warning follows reports from authorities in Ankara and Istanbul that over a hundred people—including tourists—have been seriously injured or killed drinking homemade alcohol.
In addition to the deaths, another 230 were reported to have been hospitalized—40 of them in critical condition—after drinking the tainted alcohol.
The U.S. State Department also issued a warning on January 21 that deaths from counterfeit alcohol had been on the rise. Both countries advise travelers to only buy alcoholic beverages from licensed sources, avoid homemade alcohol, check bottle seals and labels when purchasing alcohol, even from licensed sources, and seek immediate medical attention if a traveler becomes ill after drinking alcohol from any source.
Continue Reading Article After Our Video
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Turkish authorities intensified a crackdown on bootleg liquor last month in response to the reports. A British news outlet reported that the crackdown by authorities resulted in seizures of bootleg alcohol and the closure of some 64 businesses related to the investigations.
In Turkey, recent government tax increases and other restrictions on the sale of alcohol have driven up the price of liquor—already high because of ongoing inflation—and driven some bars and restaurants to seek cheaper alternatives. Most of the deaths have been linked to methanol poisoning. Methanol is toxic and unfit for human consumption, unlike ethanol which is normally present in alcoholic beverages. Even if it is ultimately not fatal, methanol poisoning can have severe health consequences, including liver damage and blindness.
The Turkish government increased value-added taxes on alcohol by 13% again at the beginning of the year. Turkey is a nominally secular but majority Muslim country where alcohol taxes have steadily increased since 2013 under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been vocal about his opposition to drinking, once saying “Whoever drinks alcohol is an alcoholic.”
Bootleg liquor makers looking to save money on production will typically add methanol instead of ethanol, creating cheaper drinks that have the potential to be lethal.
Reports indicate that raki, an aniseed-flavored liquor popular in Turkey is one of the most frequently counterfeited alcohol types.
All three governments also advise travelers to Turkey to exercise a high degree of caution because of the threat of terrorist attacks, and the possibility for political demonstrations which could turn violent. Each government also warns against travel to the region of the country bordering Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon due to the unpredictable security situation and the threat of terrorism.
Before the addition of the warnings for tainted alcohol, the three governments also warned travelers about the prevalence of scams involving spiked food or drinks, leading to assaults and robberies. Travelers, they say, should be careful not to accept food or drink from strangers, or accept invitations from strangers or newfound acquaintances to bars or restaurants, where they will be presented with a steep bill for their meal.
Turkey is not the only country struggling with image problems related to tourist deaths linked to tainted alcohol. In the last year, British travelers in Laos and Vietnam were also reported to have died in cases involving tainted alcohol. In Vietnam, the travelers reportedly consumed homemade limoncello from a local restaurant.
