A botanical garden in Petropavlovsk has encountered an unexpected problem: staff say drug couriers and their clients are flocking to the protected area, infohub.kz reports.
Garden workers have noticed a steady stream of strangers who come here but show no interest in the exotic plants or rare animals and birds. According to them, some people in dark clothing are burying something in the ground, while others come looking for it afterward.
Police arrived at the scene and found a suspicious package. Its contents have been sent for examination.
It is noted that this year the botanical garden was finally granted the status of a specially protected natural area. Officials now hope to implement a security plan.
"These cameras must not interfere with the plants. That is, you can't say: this branch is in the way, let's cut it off so the camera can see better. You have to approach this from a scientific point of view," explained Artur Ryazapov, director of the organization.