ISTANBUL, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish gendarmerie forces have detained 66 suspects and seized 27,886 liters of counterfeit or smuggled alcohol, along with 67,994 liters of ethyl alcohol, in nationwide operations carried out over the past two weeks, authorities said Thursday.

In a post on social media platform X, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said security forces conducted synchronized raids against alcohol smuggling and counterfeiting across 17 provinces, including major cities such as Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

The operations also uncovered six illegal alcoholic beverage production facilities, Yerlikaya said.

"By seizing these products, we prevented counterfeit and illicit alcohol production from endangering the lives and health of our citizens," he added.

Türkiye has stepped up its crackdown on counterfeit alcohol ahead of New Year's Eve, following a series of poisoning incidents resulting from unregulated production. Enditem