Taiwanese detained at Turkey airport over betel nutsBy Wu Su-wei / Staff reporterSeveral Taiwanese were detained in Turkey after allegedly taking betel nuts into the country, which regards them as containing illegal drugs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. The Chinese Consulate-General in Istanbul on Thursday said in a statement that Chinese and Taiwanese were detained upon arrival in Turkey for carrying betel nuts. A person holds a handful of betel nuts in Pingtung County on July 4. People who travel to Turkey must not take betel nuts, as they would be infringing on local laws, she added. While Turkey’s criminal code does not stipulate a specific ban on betel nuts, authorities list products as prohibited articles if they contain arecoline hydrobromide.

Source: Taipei Times August 14, 2021 15:56 UTC