Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya announced Friday that 25,603 liters of smuggled and counterfeit alcohol and ethyl alcohol were seized in the 'Çengel-4' operations held simultaneously in 81 provinces, and legal action was taken against 189 culprits.

Sharing the insights of the operation on his social media account, Yerlikaya stated that operations codenamed 'Çengel-4' were carried out across the country to prevent the trade in bootleg alcohol.

During operations carried out under the coordination of the Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime Directorate of the General Directorate of Security, with the participation of provincial police directorates and Revenue Administration personnel, 14 illegal distilleries were exposed.

Also, 8,310 bottles of illicit alcohol, 13,472 liters of bootleg liquor, 12,131 liters of ethyl alcohol, 1,704 empty bottles, 1,600 banderoles, 1,680 alcohol flavors and 68,121 labels were seized.

Legal proceedings were initiated against 189 people. As a result of the operations, the state's tax loss of TL 25 million was prevented. Congratulating the teams participating in the operations, Yerlikaya said: "We are on the heels of smugglers and those involved in counterfeiting. We will not let them turn a blind eye."

Meanwhile, earlier this week, 50 suspects involved in an illegal bootleg liquor ring were apprehended in an extensive operation conducted across Istanbul.

Investigators found that the detained individuals, who owned companies operating in the chemical and disinfectant sectors, were selling ethyl alcohol to producers of counterfeit alcohol. The suspects were using containers labeled with "surface cleaner" and "undrinkable" to distribute the ethyl alcohol.