ANKARA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 46 suspects were detained in the past week in nationwide operations across Türkiye targeting counterfeit alcohol producers, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday.

The operation, dubbed "Hook-16," was conducted by gendarmerie teams who raided four illegal alcohol factories involved in smuggling and producing fake alcoholic beverages, Yerlikaya said on social media platform X, without specifying the time frame of the operation.

The authorities seized a total of 50,105 liters of counterfeit and ethyl alcohol, along with 4,000 counterfeit tax stamps during the operations, he said.

The raids follow a sharp increase in counterfeit alcohol poisonings in Türkiye in the weeks leading up to the New Year. In December, 22 people died from suspected poisoning due to fake alcohol.

With the price of legitimate alcoholic beverages remaining high, bootleg alcohol has thrived in Türkiye, creating an opportunity for criminal groups to profit by smuggling illicit drinks. These illegal producers often turn to cheaper and more dangerous substances, which has contributed to a rising death toll from counterfeit alcohol consumption in recent years. Enditem

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