Turkish Police Detain 370 Suspects For Illegal Tobacco Trade

With the revision, people may face up to two to five years imprisonment for unauthorised selling of tobacco.

Turkish police on Thursday detained 370 suspects in a nationwide operation against criminal organisations allegedly producing illegal tobacco products, a cabinet minister said.

Anti-smuggling and organised crime teams raided 672 places in the campaign dubbed “Operation Fog,’’ Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Cigarette bootlegging appeared to be an increasingly serious problem in Türkiye due to rampant inflation and tax surges that make cigarettes more expensive.

Türkiye introduced a legal amendment in December 2022 to combat illicit tobacco production and sales.

With the revision, people may face up to two to five years imprisonment for unauthorised selling of tobacco.