An incident that shocked many was recorded in Central Asia. In the Turkestan region, a court announced the verdict against a group involved in the illegal transportation of fuel across the border. This was reported by nur.kz.
According to court documents, five individuals in the Saryagash district built a secret underground tunnel 375 meters long, through which, from August to December 2024, they carried out a series of unlawful operations. A total of more than 420 tons of AI-92 gasoline was smuggled into Uzbekistan through this tunnel.
Experts calculated that this activity caused damage to the state amounting to 112 million tenge, which is approximately equal to 2 billion Uzbek soums.
As per the court’s ruling, the leader of the criminal group was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while the other members each received 13 years. In addition, their property was confiscated, including 3 million tenge in cash, 16,000 liters of fuel, and several trucks.
According to official reports, the verdict has not yet come into legal force, and the parties still have the right to appeal. However, this case highlights the growing need to strengthen control and security along the borders of neighboring states.
Experts emphasize that such tunnels and the illegal operations conducted through them bring not only economic losses but also pose a serious threat to border security. For this reason, the case has sparked major public attention not only in the Turkestan region but throughout the entire region.
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