In Kazakhstan this year, 45 criminal cases involving members of organized criminal groups have reached court. This is reported by infohub.kz.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs' information media portal has disclosed verdicts in the largest crimes committed by organized criminal groups (OCGs).
In the Karaganda region, a verdict was handed down to the organizer and 10 members of a criminal group engaged in the theft of inventory from the region's mining and processing enterprises. The court sentenced them to prison terms of up to 13 years.
"A guilty verdict was also handed down to the leader and four members of an OCG involved in similar thefts of property from a major city-forming enterprise in the region using covert fraudulent schemes. They were sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years," the ministry said.
In Almaty, 13 members of an OCG involved in illegal vehicle registration, altering VIN codes and data in information systems, and fraud in vehicle sales were sentenced to long prison terms of up to 8 years.
"In Kyzylorda, 8 representatives of local criminal circles were convicted of systematic extortion, including against entrepreneurs. During the investigation, they were charged with leading and participating in an OCG. The court sentenced them to prison terms of up to 11 years," the Interior Ministry added.
In the capital, the organizer and 5 members of an OCG were convicted of drug trafficking. The organizer was sentenced to 17 years in prison, and his accomplices to terms of up to 16 years.