A court in Almaty sentenced a 22-year-old Kazakh woman to 16 years in prison for attempting to bring two suitcases containing cannabis extract weighing a total of 8.8 kilograms from Thailand, according to infohub.kz.
The Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Almaty found her guilty of smuggling and illegal trafficking of narcotics on a particularly large scale. Investigators established that the woman agreed to deliver the banned substance to Kazakhstan for a monetary reward. The smuggling was intercepted immediately after her arrival at the city's airport.
The Main Transport Prosecutor's Office noted that the sentence has already taken legal effect. The agency also warned Kazakh citizens that offers of "easy money" and free trips circulated on social media are often part of international drug schemes. "Regardless of the role in the crime, involvement entails severe criminal liability," the prosecutor's office emphasized.