Those who dug a mysterious tunnel in Andijan detained (video)

In March last year, it was revealed that a secret underground tunnel had been constructed, connecting the territory of the "A. Navoi" neighorhood in the city of Khanabad, Andijan region, with the village of Bekabad in Suzak district, Jalalabad region, Kyrgyzstan. In this case, one Kyrgyz citizen was sentenced to six years in prison, and four Uzbek citizens received five-year prison terms. This was reported by the State Security Service.

It was noted that a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, born in 1986, had initially attempted to smuggle 812 mobile phones worth 5 billion 954 million sums into Uzbekistan through the underground passage. He was also trying to smuggle 1 kg 734 grams of substandard gold bullion worth 1 billion 558 million sums out of the country when he was detained with material evidence.

The operation continued, and during searches at the addresses of his three accomplices—residents of Andijan city and Altynkul district, born in 1971, 1979, and 1980—it was discovered that 1,380 mobile phones, 32 earphones, 920 adapters, 338 USB-C cables, and 40 chargers worth 2 billion 839 million sums had been transported through the tunnel. These items were documented according to procedural regulations.

The underground tunnel was located at a depth of 18–20 meters. It measured 60–70 centimeters in width, 170–180 centimeters in height, and had a length of 300–350 meters.

During the investigation, it was revealed that the organized criminal group was led by another citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, born in 1983, who assigned specific tasks to each member. A separate criminal case is currently underway against him.

The Andijan City Criminal Court found the Kyrgyz citizen born in 1986 guilty of committing crimes under Articles 182 and 223 of the Criminal Code and sentenced him to six years in prison. Three citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan were found guilty under Article 182 of the Criminal Code and were each sentenced to five years in prison.

“In accordance with the court verdict, the goods and material assets seized from them, along with the house in the A. Navoi Municipal Administrative District of Khanabad city, were confiscated for the benefit of the state, and the ‘underground tunnel’ was buried and destroyed,” the report stated.

In addition, a second underground tunnel discovered in the house of another Uzbek citizen, born in 1984, in the “A. Navoi” neighborhood of Khanabad city, was also destroyed following the court’s verdict. This house, along with the goods and material evidence, was confiscated for the benefit of the state. The offender was sentenced to five years in prison.

During the investigation, it was found that various types of mobile phones imported from the Kyrgyz Republic through these underground tunnels were sold in shopping centers in the cities of Andijan and Tashkent. Investigative work in this direction is currently ongoing.

It should be recalled that earlier, a 450-meter tunnel intended for smuggling petroleum products was destroyed on the Uzbek-Kazakh border. Between five and seven tons of petroleum products were illegally transported through that tunnel daily. This illegal operation had continued for about two months.