Transport police officers have seized nearly 100 kilograms of narcotics at the airports of Astana and Almaty since the start of the year, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to the information media portal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a 20-year-old foreign national detained while attempting to bring 17 kilograms of drugs into Kazakhstan from Thailand has been sentenced to 16 years in prison. The illicit substances were intended for further distribution through illegal channels.
"It was established that he planned to transport the shipment from Thailand to Kazakhstan for subsequent sale through illegal channels. The timely actions of transport police officers made it possible to intercept the international transit of drugs. By a court decision, the detainee was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in prison," the statement said.
It is noted that since the beginning of 2026, officers of the transport police department have identified 27 cases of drug smuggling at the airports of Astana and Almaty.
A total of 98 kilograms of narcotic substances have been taken out of illegal circulation, equivalent to roughly 180,000 single doses. The total black-market value of the seized drugs is estimated at 2.5 billion tenge, according to Farabi Yelubayev, head of the department for combating drug crime at the transport police department.
Yelubayev also urged Kazakhstanis to be vigilant and to report suspicious situations to law enforcement. He separately warned of the danger of transporting unknown parcels and packages for a reward.
"It is strictly forbidden to accept parcels, packages and other items from strangers for storage or transportation, even for a monetary reward, if you do not know their contents. Credulity and carelessness can make you an accomplice to a crime and lead to serious consequences," Farabi Yelubayev concluded.