According to local media, popular Turkish actor Can Yaman —who starred in the recent remake of Sandokan—and actress Selen Gorguzel were among seven people arrested overnight in an anti-drug operation in Istanbul. Raids were also carried out at nine nightclubs in the capital's Bosphorus district.
According to Ansa, citing Turkish media, Can Yaman was found in possession of narcotics and was later released after testifying to investigators.
The investigation is being conducted by the Istanbul General Prosecutor's Office's Investigation Office on Smuggling, Drug Trafficking and Economic Crimes.
Yaman was expected this evening on the first episode of Maria De Filippi's "C'è posta per te."
The investigation
The investigation concerns charges of "possession of drugs or stimulants for personal use," "facilitating drug use," and "encouraging a person to engage in prostitution, facilitating such practice, or mediating or providing a place for prostitution." According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, a tip-off led to Can Yaman's arrest. According to the newspaper, the prosecutor's office had not issued an arrest warrant for Yaman as part of the investigation, but had ordered the search of nine locations, including the Hotel Bebek, where the "Sandokan" actor was spending the evening. However, someone apparently reported that the actor had been using drugs , and during the search of the nightclub, substances were found on him. Yaman was subsequently arrested. The operation began after midnight, and drugs were found in several locations. According to Hurriyet, the raid was "targeted to target certain celebrities." Among the seven arrested by Turkish police, in addition to Yaman and fellow actress Selen Gorguzel, are reportedly Ayşe Sağlam and Ceren Alper, as well as club owners, managers, and YouTubers.
