37 people detained for illegal gold mining in Uzbekistan

The State Security Service and regional police have detained 37 individuals involved in illegal gold mining operations in Uzbekistan. According to the National Inspectorate “Kontexnazorat,” the arrests were made during inspections in the Bukhara and Navoi regions. This was reported by the UzA.

Unauthorized mining sites were discovered in the territories of the ’’Oltin Kon’’ company, located in the Quljuqtov area of the Shofirkon district and the Tovshan mountains of the Konimex district. The cases were handed over to the SSS, which, together with regional police, conducted an operation and caught 37 people red-handed while illegally extracting gold.

During the raid, officers seized three Ford vehicles, eight drilling machines, six compressors, and nearly 400 sacks of gold-bearing ore, along with various handmade tools. Preliminary estimates indicate that the illegal activity caused damage exceeding 20 billion soums to the state and society.

It is worth noting that earlier, several individuals were arrested in Tashkent for attempting to sell fake gold bars worth $70,000.