Turkish nationals who poisoned Russians sentenced to 90 years

Four Turkish nationals found guilty of poisoning a group of Russian tourists in 2011, leading to the deaths of five of them, were sentenced on Monday to 90 years in prison.

Some 20 Russian tourists were hospitalized with severe alcohol poisoning in Bodrum in late May on their return from a sailing tour organized by a local company.

Four of them died in Turkish hospitals, while another victim died later at a Moscow hospital.

The lawyer, who represented the interests of the husband of one of the deceased tourists, said all four Turks were involved in the production and distribution of conterfeit alcohol.

He also said that the owner of the yacht and two more organizers of the sailing tour were sentenced each to seven years in prison.
The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture said in an official statement after the incident in 2011 that the methyl alcohol content in the fake whiskey, called Mister Burdon, was three times higher than normal.

According to Turkish officials, a company called Jasmine imported the fake whiskey into Turkey from northern Cyprus. Some 12,000 bottles of the bogus whiskey were sold at local markets.