On August 18, 2025, in the city of Turkestan, the verdict was issued in the largest smuggling case at the moment. This was reported on August 20 by the press service of the regional court, according to Zakon.kz. According to the information, this case attracts attention not only by its scale and nature but also by the application of legal responsibility.
During the trial, the specialized inter-district court for criminal cases of the Turkestan region considered a criminal case against 5 individuals. They were charged with the following serious accusations:
-
creating a transnational organized criminal group and leading it, as well as participating in it;
-
stealing, storing, transporting, and selling petroleum products in large quantities;
-
illegal transfer and sale of petroleum products across the state border.
According to the court ruling, the group leader K. was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment, while the defendants I., A., M., and E. were sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment. Additionally, 3 million tenge, 16 thousand liters of AI-92 gasoline, and trucks of the brands «ZIL» and «GAZ» were confiscated in favor of the state. These measures were taken to mitigate the economic consequences of the crime and protect state interests.
According to the investigation, in July 2024, K., with the aim of illegally improving his financial situation, knowing that gasoline prices in Uzbekistan were high, made an agreement with his acquaintance – a citizen of Uzbekistan R. Then K., leading the group, involved defendants E., I., A., M., and other unidentified citizens of Uzbekistan. Tasks were distributed to them, and in the village of Sarqirama of the Sariagash district, on the territory of a farm yard, an underground pipeline was built. Part of the pipeline went through the territory of Kazakhstan, and the other part through Uzbekistan.
From August to December 2024, they illegally transported more than 420 tons of AI-92 gasoline across the border, bypassing customs control. The market value of this cargo was estimated at 112 million 512 thousand tenge.
Thus, this large-scale smuggling case in Turkestan required not only strict legal measures but also once again demonstrated the country’s economic security and the effectiveness of border control. The court ruling reinforced firm and reasonable actions in combating crime and eliminating transnational groups.
Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
