30.01.2026 08:30
Former national football player Ümit Karan applied to the prosecutor's office to benefit from the effective remorse provisions following his arrest in connection with a drug investigation.
In the comprehensive investigation into 'drugs targeting celebrities' conducted in Istanbul, Ümit Karan, who was detained while attempting to leave the country at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, was arrested on January 16, 2026, and sent to prison. It was reported that tests conducted at the Forensic Medicine revealed cocaine use in Karan's blood and urine samples.
WANTS TO BE A WHISTLEBLOWER
According to a report in Sabah, the 49-year-old former football player has been in prison for about two weeks and has recently expressed a desire to benefit from the effective remorse provisions, and has therefore applied to the prosecutor's office. It was noted that Karan could provide information regarding the drug network in his upcoming statement.
ARRESTED AFTER EX-GIRLFRIEND'S TESTIMONY
His ex-girlfriend's statements to the prosecutor's office were influential in his detention and arrest. A 23-year-old young woman named S.N. claimed that she met Karan about 7 months ago and that they used drugs together three times. The young woman stated, "I never brought drugs to Ümit Karan. Ümit Karan brought drugs himself and offered them to me. I did not pay any fee in return. I regret what I experienced with Ümit Karan. I do not know why he used me."
HE HAD DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS
Initially denying the charges against him, Ümit Karan claimed in his first statement that he had used substances uncontrollably abroad in the past and did not give drugs to anyone. Karan, who stated that he knew a young woman named Ş.Ö. and had a previous relationship with her, expressed that he did not provide cocaine as alleged.