10.12.2025 14:11
After Mehmet Akif Ersoy's detention as part of a drug investigation, a conversation he had in 2017 with a follower about drugs has come back to the forefront. At that time, when a follower asked about the claim that Palestinian youth were being addicted to drugs, Ersoy responded, "The drug issue is a somewhat different topic, my master."
The drug investigation involving famous news anchors has been expanded. A detention order has been issued for 8 people, including Habertürk's General Publishing Director Mehmet Akif Ersoy. Mehmet Akif Ersoy and 3 suspects have been detained, while other detention procedures are ongoing.
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE STATEMENT In a statement made by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated, "As part of the ongoing investigation, a detention order has been issued for 8 suspects for the crimes of Purchasing, Accepting, or Possessing Drugs or Stimulants, Using Drugs or Stimulants, and Providing Place and Means for Their Use. In accordance with our instructions, Mehmet Akif Ersoy and 3 suspects have been detained by the Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Command, and detention procedures for the other suspects are continuing."
First image from the detention... 8-YEAR-OLD STATEMENT BACK ON THE AGENDA While the repercussions of the incident continue, a dialogue between Mehmet Akif Ersoy and one of his followers from 2017 has come back to the agenda. The follower asked, "First of all, I read your book, it's very beautiful. Is it true that Palestinian youth are being addicted to drugs by Israel?" Ersoy had replied, "The drug issue is a somewhat different topic, my master."
HE WAS DISMISSED FROM HIS POSITION Following the detention of Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Habertürk made a statement regarding the matter. The statement said, "Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the General Publishing Director of Habertürk TV, has been detained as part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In the interest of the ongoing investigation, Mehmet Akif Ersoy has been suspended from his duties."
SCREEN FACES WERE DETAINED Television anchors Ela Rumeysa Cebeci, Hande Sarıoğlu, and Meltem Acet, who are well-known in Turkey, were detained last week as part of the investigation. The anchors, who were taken by gendarmerie teams for questioning, provided statements in response to the allegations and participated in the process by giving blood and hair samples at the Forensic Medicine Institution. All three individuals, who were processed for the charge of "Using drugs or stimulants," were released after their procedures were completed.
WHO IS MEHMET AKİF ERSOY? Born on January 8, 1985, in Istanbul, Mehmet Akif Ersoy graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Communication. He started his career as a reporter at 6 News channel in 2009. In 2011, he served as a TRT representative and war correspondent in Libya, Yemen, Damascus, and Erbil. In 2012, he became the TRT Cairo-Egypt Representative, and in 2013, he was appointed as the Deputy Coordinator of TRT Arabic. In 2014, he began working as the Deputy Regional Director of TRT Istanbul. Ersoy became the Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy Magazine in 2016. He started working at Habertürk in 2017 and had been serving as the General Publishing Director of Habertürk TV since 2024.