Police uncovered an illegal gold processing workshop in the Akmola region. The special operation was captured on video. The alleged organizer has been taken into custody, reports infohub.kz, citing the Financial Monitoring Agency (AFM).
In an official Telegram channel, the agency said that the AFM Department for Akmola region, coordinated by the prosecutor's office, stopped the activities of a group suspected of illegally mining precious metals in the Shortandy district.
During operational search activities, authorities discovered an underground workshop equipped for processing gold-bearing ore and extracting precious metals. Seized items included crushing and smelting equipment, a gold bar weighing 446 grams, 4 tons of gold-bearing material, 6 kg of mercury, and cash totaling over 2 million tenge and 8,000 US dollars. Firearms and ammunition were also found during searches.
Currently, authorities are identifying all individuals involved in the illegal activity and determining the volume of illegally mined precious metals.
The alleged organizer has been placed in custody. The investigation continues.