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Testimony given in a major drug investigation in Türkiye has revealed allegations of an organized scheme that lured young Turkish women to Dubai under the promise of brand promotion and luxury travel, only to coerce them into prostitution.
The information came forward through court testimonies cited during the investigation and public statements made by a major influencer.
The drug probe, which has led to the arrest of social media influencers, business figures, journalists and fashion personalities, uncovered what testimonies described as a pattern in which women with significant social media followings were contacted and offered free trips to Dubai.
According to witness statements, some were promised luxury gifts such as designer bags and persuaded to have sex with older men in hotel apartments.
As part of the investigation, singer Aleyna Tilki, influencer Danla Bilic, actress Irem Sak and Mumine Senna Yildiz were detained, while arrest warrants were issued for Mert Vidinli, Seyma Subasi and Sevval Sahin.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the charges against all named individuals, and several have denied wrongdoing.
One of the figures accused of facilitating or “marketing” women abroad is fashion personality and pro-government-leaning Hurriyet newspaper columnist Cihan Sensozlu, also known as Cihanna in Turkish high-society circles.
In testimony cited in the case, a confidential witness alleged that Sensozlu “took a young woman who is a social media influencer, along with a group, to Dubai and marketed them to Arab sheikhs.” Sensözlü denied the allegation, saying: “I was not in Dubai with her. We have never traveled together. The reason I travel frequently to Dubai is to spend school holidays with close friends and their children and to enjoy time together.”
Influencer Danla Bilic, who has about 6 million followers on Instagram, has previously said publicly that she is hesitant to travel to Dubai because of widespread assumptions that women who visit the city are doing so for prostitution. During a live video broadcast, she hinted that prostitution among Turkish women in Dubai had become prevalent.
The allegations were further discussed publicly by journalist Baris Yarkadas. Yarkadas said on TGRT News he had received information through a lawyer representing a woman currently jailed on charges of facilitating prostitution.
“Today, I received information through the lawyer of a woman who is currently imprisoned for the crime of facilitating prostitution,” Yarkadas said.
He described what he called a broader system involving influencers.
“The phenomenon called ‘influencer’ has become a serious problem for Türkiye,” he said. “The system works like this: young women and men with large followings who are genuinely trying to earn a living are first targeted through Dubai and collaborators in Türkiye. They are told, ‘Come to Dubai, we will offer you a certain lifestyle here, continue your profession, and make money.’”
Yarkadas said some participants were voluntary, describing intermediaries who introduced young women and men first to wealthy men in Dubai and then to people from around the world seeking to profit from prostitution. He said social media visibility was used as a “shop window” to market them.
According to Yarkadas, luxury items such as designer handbags, watches and jewelry were given as compensation and later sold in Türkiye’s secondhand market at reduced prices. “Social media platforms are used as a display case,” he said, adding that glamorous lifestyles were amplified through algorithms to draw more young people into the network.
He also claimed that 165 Turkish youths were officially registered on an escort advertising website, displaying what he briefly showed on air as a printed image of the site.
Turkish police and prosecutors, he said, have identified many individuals involved, with some arrested and others still under investigation.
The allegations have renewed scrutiny of Dubai’s long-standing reputation as a hub for illegal prostitution networks, despite strict public morality laws.
Prostitution is illegal in the United Arab Emirates, but international media and human rights reporting have previously documented the presence of large underground networks operating in the city.
In a 2010 report, The Guardian quoted observers saying Dubai enforces harsh penalties for public displays of affection while turning a blind eye to tens of thousands of foreign prostitutes operating in private venues.
Other reports have described women, including Muslim women from former Soviet states, being trafficked or coerced into prostitution despite the practice being illegal under local law.
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