18-year-old student arrested in Tashkent: 820 million soum "business" exposed
An 18-year-old student involved in the illegal circulation of crypto-assets and the sale of virtual services in Tashkent was arrested during a joint search operation conducted by the State Security Service (SSS) and the Tashkent City Department of Internal Affairs. He had been circulating large sums of money through an unlicensed foreign crypto-exchange.
According to preliminary investigation data, the young man, who studies at one of the capital's prestigious public universities, had been carrying out buying and selling operations of crypto-assets totaling 64,715 USDT over the course of nearly a year.
Details of the operational investigation and discovered evidence
Law enforcement agencies have disclosed the following important facts regarding this case:
Duration and platform of the violation: The student, born in 2008, had been operating continuously on the "Bitget" crypto-exchange platform without the required license from December 2025 to October 2026;
Volume and scale of turnover: Through various transactions, the suspect circulated a total of 64,715 USDT (equivalent to approximately 770–820 million soums), and at the time of his arrest, it was discovered that he had another 450 USDT in his electronic wallet;
Sale of virtual phone numbers: The student was not limited to crypto-operations; he was also systematically engaged in selling virtual phone numbers belonging to 140 foreign countries via the Telegram messenger;
Identity and initiated case: The detained young man turned out to be a resident of the Tashkent district and a student at one of the capital's prestigious public higher education institutions; a criminal case has been initiated, and preliminary investigation actions are underway.
Restrictions in Uzbekistan's legislation: Why is trading on foreign exchanges prohibited?
Law enforcement agencies once again remind citizens of the requirements of national legislation in the field of crypto-assets:
Mandatory licensing requirement: Any operations related to the circulation of crypto-assets within the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan must be carried out exclusively through national providers (local exchanges and official P2P platforms) that hold the appropriate license;
Liability measures: Trading on foreign exchanges, as well as providing illegal buying, selling, and brokerage services without the authorization of the competent authority, directly leads to criminal liability.
The growing interest among young people in earning quick and easy money through crypto-exchanges cannot be a basis for bypassing legal requirements, and all such illegal actions will lead to legal consequences.
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