In the Kyzylorda region, the activities of an alleged criminal group engaged in illegal mining of precious metals have been suppressed. The operation was carried out by the Department of the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) for the Kyzylorda region, coordinated by the prosecutor's office and jointly with the Department of the National Security Committee (KNB), reports the website infohub.kz.
According to the investigation, native gold was mined in the Zhamankol tract, which did not require complex industrial processing. Roles were clearly distributed among the participants: some attracted prospectors and organized mining, others were responsible for transportation and sales, and others ensured security.
As noted by the department, to conceal illegal activities, lookouts were posted around the perimeter, and motorcyclists patrolled the adjacent territory, warning of the appearance of outsiders and state officials.
Gold was transported to Almaty for further sale, and the proceeds were distributed among the scheme's participants.
During searches, more than 500 grams of gold-bearing raw materials, 2 units of special equipment, 12 metal detectors, and 6 vehicles were seized. Additionally, 2 pneumatic pistols and a smoothbore shotgun were found.
Currently, 13 individuals have been placed in custody. The investigation is ongoing.