Vigilantes beating a drug dealer were arrested

Fourteen individuals were convicted for the brutal assault of a drug dealer, according to Tashkent city courts.

In 2022, three individuals forced a man, born in 1998, into a car and drove him to a remote location where they severely beat him. They recorded the incident and shared the footage on social media.

The victim was part of a drug trafficking gang and had planned to steal a large quantity of drugs and sell them through another online channel instead of delivering them to customers.

The administrator of a Telegram channel discovered the theft and hired mercenaries for $300-500 to punish the courier.

Between October and November 2022, and again in January and February 2023, authorities arrested a total of 20 people related to the case.

On May 30, the Yakkasaroy district court sentenced 14 defendants. One received a six-year sentence, two were sentenced to five years and six months, one to five years, four to four years and six months, and six to three years and six months, as reported.