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Eight suspects, including actress Saadet Ezgi Eyuboglu, were taken into custody Friday in an Istanbul operation carried out as part of an ongoing drug investigation, authorities said.
Eyuboglu, 37, is known for her role as Aybige Hatun in the second season of the popular Turkish TV series "The Magnificent Century."
According to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, a detention order was issued for Eyuboglu on allegations of “purchasing, accepting or possessing narcotic or stimulant substances for personal use” and “using narcotic or stimulant substances.”
Detention orders were also issued for Eser Kucukerol and Ismail Ahmet Akcay on charges of “manufacturing and trafficking narcotic or stimulant substances.”
Four other suspects, Yigit Macit, Mehmet Ali Gul, Gizem Turedi and Mehmet Guclu, were detained on charges of “encouraging and facilitating prostitution,” while Saim Macit was detained on suspicion of violating Law No. 6136 on firearms, knives and other tools.
All eight suspects were apprehended during coordinated operations in the city, authorities said.
Searches conducted as part of the investigation resulted in the seizure of licensed, unlicensed and blank-firing pistols, various types of ammunition, eight narcotic pills, crystalline and liquid narcotics, 51 cartridges believed to contain drugs, and drug paraphernalia, including a grinder.
Police also seized bundles containing blank paper with $100 bills placed on the top and bottom, as well as 19 counterfeit US dollar bills with their middle sections removed, prosecutors said.
Procedures for the suspects at police headquarters are ongoing.
The operation comes amid a widening drug investigation in Istanbul targeting high-profile figures. In a separate wave of operations launched this week, authorities detained several well-known figures, including pop singer Aleyna Tilki, social media personality Danla Bilic and actress Irem Sak. Three other suspects could not be located at their registered addresses, officials said.
The probe has already ensnared prominent journalist and former Haberturk TV editor-in-chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who was arrested last week along with several others. Ersoy was among eight suspects detained on Dec. 9 and was remanded in custody with three others after prosecutors cited allegations of drug use and involvement in prostitution.
Investigators said the broader inquiry remains ongoing and that additional detentions could follow as evidence continues to be reviewed.
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