Customs employ new method: Over 132,000 boxes of tobacco destroyed in Tashkent

On March 6, a large-scale event was held in cooperation with the State Customs Service and other law enforcement agencies to destroy a significant quantity of tobacco products that had been seized as contraband and ordered to be destroyed by a court decision, with the participation of the general public. The event, led by the Customs Committee and the Compulsory Enforcement Bureau, saw the mass burning of 132,180 boxes of such contraband products.

According to the analysis, the volume of illegal turnover of products amounted to 19.4% in January 2024, while by December 2024, this figure had decreased to 9.6%.

“Today, more than 132,000 boxes of tobacco products, seized from illegal circulation during operational measures carried out by customs authorities and customs control, are being destroyed. If we examine these tobacco products, we can identify them as counterfeit by three key signs: they are not marked with an excise stamp, they lack digital marking, and there is no information about the mandatory health warning that should appear on each box. These signs indicate that the tobacco products are of poor quality and counterfeit,” said Akromjon Akhlimirzaev, head of the Department of Investigation and Administrative Practice at the Customs Committee.

Continuing his speech, Akhlimirzaev discussed the methods used to transport tobacco products illegally imported into Uzbekistan.

“Analysis shows that illegal tobacco products are typically transported through our republic in transit, in small batches from neighboring countries. Through this process, they are more likely to be sold. Let me give you an example from yesterday. Two wagons that entered our country through the Khoja State Railway Post in the Bukhara region were inspected by customs officers. Among the stone products used in construction imported to us from abroad, a large amount of tobacco products was found, smuggled out of customs control. In this case, all the seized products are being destroyed in the current destruction process. In about ten such cases involving tobacco products, the goods were seized and are now being destroyed based on court decisions and executive documents,” he said.

It is noteworthy that in connection with the "Year of Environmental Protection and 'Green' Economy," a unique innovation was introduced during this destruction event to prevent harmful effects on the environment and human health and to promote the rational use of waste. Before burning the tobacco products, they were separated from their paper wrappers. Afterward, the paper was sent for recycling.

"Today's event is a little different. We have changed our method of destruction. As you can see, each pack of tobacco products is separated into a paper box. In the future, these paper boxes will be given to waste processing enterprises. Through this, we aim to minimize harm to the environment and use waste more efficiently," said the head of the Department of the Customs Committee.

Do you know how many cases of tobacco products have been confiscated from violators? Despite the large figures, such a substantial amount of tobacco products has been seized from offenders in just 9 cases.

According to the department, for example, 76,500 boxes of foreign-made tobacco products called "Milano" were seized during an operation carried out by the operational units of the specialized customs complex "Tashkent-AERO." Citizen B.K., who was previously under surveillance, was found to be storing these cigarettes, worth a total of 1 billion sums, which had been illegally imported from neighboring countries for further trafficking. By the verdict of the Chilonzor District Court for Criminal Cases, the citizen was found guilty under Article 186-1, Part 3, Clause "a" of the Criminal Code (“Illegal introduction or production of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic products, and tobacco products”) and was sentenced to 7 years and 1 month in prison.

After the burning of the cigarettes, a press conference was held on-site with the participation of journalists and bloggers, focusing on the measures being taken to curb the illegal circulation of tobacco products in the republic. During the conference, Deputy Chairman of the Customs Committee Otabek Choriev, Head of the Department of Investigation and Administrative Practice Akromjon Akhlimirzaev, and others provided detailed information to journalists.

It is reported that in 2024, customs authorities, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, detected 512 cases of illegal transportation involving 2.9 million packs of tobacco products, worth 61.6 billion sums, and stopped their illegal circulation within the country.

“Today, we are working in line with the main tasks of customs authorities in combating the illegal import of tobacco products. This year, customs authorities detected 137 cases of violations involving 305,000 packs of tobacco products worth 9.3 billion soums. This has led to an increase in the import of legal tobacco products into our country. By the end of 2024, these figures had increased eightfold compared to 2023. Previously, tobacco products were imported from only two countries, but now countries such as Korea, Armenia, Germany, and Poland have been added to the list,” said Otabek Choriev, Deputy Chairman of the Customs Committee.

Otabek Choriev added that, in most cases, attempts to dispose of tobacco products transported in transit through the territory of Uzbekistan were more frequently observed within the country. To prevent these incidents, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted Resolution No. 717 “On Approval of the Regulation on the Procedure for Implementing Customs Control During Transit Through the Territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan” on October 30, 2024.

According to the resolution, a new practice was introduced, requiring the deposit of customs payments due during the transit of tobacco products through the territory of Uzbekistan into a customs authority deposit account. These funds will be returned after the products are exported from the country.

“The expansion of the geography of imports has, in turn, significantly increased the amount of customs payments received by the state budget. Compared to 2000, customs payments have increased almost tenfold, ensuring their collection into the state budget. All these efforts, as a result of our fight against illegal tobacco products, are leading to the legalization of our activities. There are three national companies in our country that produce tobacco products, and the production of tobacco products has been launched to meet domestic demand,” Choriev said.

The press conference was also attended by pulmonologist Khairulla Rajabov, deputy director of the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Physiology and Pulmonology, who discussed the harmful effects of tobacco products on human health.

“Speaking of the negative effects of tobacco, smoking primarily causes lung diseases. In seventy-five percent of cases of primary lung diseases, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking is noted as a contributing factor. In addition to lung diseases, smoking can lead to lung cancer, as 90% of lung diseases develop due to smoking. Smoking can also cause cardiovascular diseases, as well as stomach and digestive system diseases. Heart diseases, especially coronary heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), and complications such as acute heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke, are linked to smoking. Data show an increase in stroke cases among young people.

“Each tobacco product contains more than a hundred harmful elements, one of which is nicotine. Tar is also formed during tobacco consumption, which, when inhaled, clogs the respiratory tract and has a harmful effect. A number of diseases result from impaired respiratory tract permeability,” the specialist said.

It is widely known that tobacco products are harmful to human life. According to studies, a quarter of the smoke emitted from tobacco products (25%) remains in the smoker's body, while the remaining 75% harms those around them.

This raises the question of whether the smoke from illegal cigarettes harms the environment. According to the department official, special filters are installed in the boilers where cigarettes are burned, trapping harmful substances in the emitted smoke.

It is worth noting that all of the information mentioned above pertains to smuggled products seized in 2024. This year, a large number of illegally imported tobacco products have been detected. In particular, more than 305,000 packs of tobacco products have been seized in 137 cases so far in 2025. Investigations and legal proceedings are ongoing, and it is planned to destroy the seized items in the future.