Two suitcases stuffed with cannabis extract were seized from a 20-year-old woman at Astana airport. The drug, disguised as sweets, had been brought in from Thailand. A court sentenced the Astana resident to 16 years in prison, infohub.kz reports.
According to the Main Transport Prosecutor's Office, the woman agreed to deliver the suitcases for a fee. Inside was 4.7 kg of cannabis extract. The shipment was discovered and seized immediately after her arrival in the capital.
Another sentence was handed down in Astana to a 39-year-old Kazakh citizen. He organized the delivery of drugs from the same country, but through the postal service.
"In the second case, a 39-year-old man in the spring of 2024 organized the shipment of drugs from Thailand to Kazakhstan through the postal service, disguising them as consumer goods," the prosecutor's office said.
Three recipients of that shipment were convicted earlier — all received real prison terms. The sender was wanted for some time. After his arrest, he appeared before a court, which sentenced him to eight years in prison.
The verdicts have not yet entered into force.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Thailand is introducing a fee for foreign tourists. It will amount to 450 baht (about 6,000 tenge).