Photo: gov.kz
Kazakhstan has completed an investigation into a case of petroleum smuggling through an underground tunnel on the border with Uzbekistan, the country’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) announced.
According to the agency, a group of individuals constructed a 450-meter-long tunnel beneath the border between the two countries. Over a period of two months, the suspects established a stable smuggling operation “involving foreign funding, logistics, and the transport of fuel and lubricants,” the FMA said.
In parallel with the Kazakh investigation, law enforcement agencies in Uzbekistan carried out “mirror” operations on their side of the border. Authorities have identified all participants in the criminal scheme, including Uzbek nationals. Five citizens of Kazakhstan have been officially named as suspects, and the case has been submitted to court.
Similar smuggling methods have been used before to traffic goods between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Last year, authorities in Uzbekistan discovered a tunnel in the home of a resident of Tashkent Region that led into Kazakh territory. It had been used to smuggle Indian-manufactured pharmaceuticals. That tunnel was 310 meters long and reportedly equipped with lighting, ventilation, trolleys, and cables for moving goods.
