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Turkish director Ezel Akay and his musician brother, Eren Kazim Akay, were sent to a courthouse after officers uncovered cannabis plants, dried cannabis and indoor cultivation equipment during a raid on their home in northwestern Türkiye.
Narcotics teams from the Bursa Provincial Gendarmerie Command, part of Türkiye's rural law-enforcement force, carried out the operation in the Rustiye neighborhood of Inegol under the coordination of prosecutors.
Authorities had reportedly placed the property under technical surveillance as part of an investigation into suspected drug trafficking.
During the search, officers seized approximately 1.13 kilograms of dried cannabis, 21 cannabis plants and an active climate-control system, along with other materials reportedly used for cultivation.
Footage from the raid showed that ultraviolet lighting and climate-control equipment had been set up in several rooms, including a bathroom, to support the indoor growth of cannabis plants.
A narcotics detection dog named Takip also found several packages containing cannabis hidden inside drawers in Akay's work desk and in wardrobes around the house. Officers took away the plants, packaged material and growing equipment for examination.
The brothers were detained and taken to Inegol State Hospital, where blood and hair samples were collected to determine whether they had used illegal drugs.
Akay reacted to journalists filming him as he entered the hospital, asking, "Why are they taking pictures?"
After their medical examinations, the brothers were taken back to a gendarmerie station for questioning. They were later referred to a courthouse as the investigation continued under the coordination of the Bursa gendarmerie and local prosecutors.
No court decision concerning the brothers was included in the information provided.
Born in 1961, Ezel Akay studied engineering at Bosphorus University before studying theater arts at Villanova University. He worked as an actor and theater director before moving into film and advertising production.
As a founding partner of the production company IFR, Akay directed more than 900 commercials. In 1996, he produced Dervis Zaim's debut feature film, "Somersault in a Coffin," which went on to receive several international awards.
He later served as executive producer of Yesim Ustaoglu's "Journey to the Sun," an internationally recognized film that received awards at festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival.
Akay is also known for productions including "Where's Firuze?," "Killing the Shadows," "Leyla Everlasting," "Kucuk Kara Baliklar" and "Osman Sekiz." Alongside directing and producing, he has appeared as an actor in several films and television series.
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