ISTANBUL — A Turkish court in Istanbul sentenced three pest control company workers and a hotel owner to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 years on November 21, 2025. The convictions stemmed from the poisoning deaths of a German family of four by insecticide exposure at the Harbour Suites Old City hotel.

Hakan Oglak, the owner of the Harbour Suites Old City hotel, received a sentence of 13 years and four months for causing multiple deaths through negligence. Zeki Kisi and Serkan Kisi, owners of DSS Pest Control, were each sentenced to 18 years in prison. Dogan Cagferoglu, an employee of DSS Pest Control, received a 12-year prison sentence. All four convicted individuals are expected to appeal their convictions.

The Bocek family was staying at the Harbour Suites Old City hotel in Istanbul's Fatih district in November 2025. On November 12, 2025, the family experienced nausea and vomiting, taking a taxi to a hospital before returning to the hotel. The following day, November 13, 2025, they were transported to a hospital by ambulance. Kadir Muhammet Bocek, age 6, and his sister Masal Bocek, age 3, died at the hospital on November 13, 2025. Cigdem Bocek died on November 14, 2025, and Servet Bocek died on November 17, 2025.

Investigators initially suspected food poisoning after the family had consumed street food in the Ortakoy neighborhood. However, this suspicion was dismissed after reports indicated the hotel was dealing with a bedbug infestation. An inspection later found traces of phosphine gas on towels, masks, and swab samples taken from the hotel. Investigators stated that a substance was sprayed in a ground-floor room of the hotel to combat the bedbug infestation. They further stated that the insecticide may have reached the family's first-floor room through a bathroom vent. Police collected samples from sheets, pillows, water bottles, and blankets before sealing the building. The Harbour Suites Old City hotel is currently closed.

Abdullah Emre Guner, Istanbul regional health chief, said: "I offer my condolences to the family members who have passed away, and express my sympathies to their relatives."