Authorities have shut down illegal iron and manganese ore mining near the village of Sayak in Balkhash, Karaganda region, an operation run by the directors of Vertex Co. LLP and MiningMetall LLP, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the official Telegram channel of the Agency for Financial Monitoring, the work was carried out without the proper subsoil use rights or the required permits. Hired workers and specialized equipment, including excavators, loaders, a crushing unit and dump trucks, were brought in to develop the sites.
The extracted raw material was crushed and then transported to a railway station for onward shipment and sale.
An inspection found three quarries showing signs of large-scale stripping and extraction work. The total volume of earth removed amounted to 338,000 cubic meters.
Specialists estimate that restoring the disturbed land and reclaiming the quarries will require 485 million tenge.
With court approval, authorities seized two pieces of specialized equipment, a vehicle and a commercial premises. The suspect has been placed under a measure of restraint in the form of bail. The investigation is ongoing.