Kecioren municipality in Ankara: 129 employees confirmed positive for drugs, investigation opened
Mayor Mesut Özarslan ordered voluntary screenings; 171 initial positives, 129 confirmed and prosecutors in Ankara opened an investigation.
The municipality of Kecioren in Ankara has become the centre of a drug-testing scandal after mass screenings in its administration showed widespread positive results, and prosecutors in Ankara have launched a formal investigation.
Mayor Mesut Özarslan ordered drug tests for municipal employees with the stated aim of improving workplace safety and raising the quality of services. An initial voluntary screening returned positive results for 171 staff members.
Investigation and confirmations
After follow-up, more detailed tests, 42 of those initially flagged were found negative. Laboratory confirmations showed 129 employees remained positive for narcotics.
Legal action has been opened against the 129 confirmed positive employees on charges of procurement, possession and consumption of drugs. Authorities are handling the case through the Ankara prosecutor’s office.
Separately, some municipal workers who refused to take the tests either resigned or were dismissed from their posts.
Photo: Haktanege09 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
