Police have arrested Tarkan, Turkey’s most famous pop music star

10:17 Police have arrested Tarkan , Turkey’s most famous pop music star 0 Comments

Police have arrested Tarkan, Turkey’s most famous pop music star, in a narcotics raid, Turkey’s semi-official Anatolian Agency reported Friday.
According to Anatolian, Tarkan was detained along with several other individuals who are "important figures from the art and magazine world."
CNN reports that Tarkan rose to international prominence in the late 1990s for singing playful hit songs like "Simarik" (Spoiled). The heartthrob has been described by some as a Turkish Ricky Martin, referring to the Latin pop singer from Puerto Rico who achieved popularity worldwide.
German-born Tarkan, who uses only one name, has also made pop charts around the world. In recent years, it was reported, he has been living in New York City. The arrest was carried out in Istanbul.
Turkey is a key stop on a drug smuggling transit route between Asia and Europe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, it is a major hub for the trafficking of illegal heroin and opium from Afghanistan en route to European markets.
Drug operations involving Turkish celebrities, including artists and models, are often carried out in Istanbul.