Courier detained while smuggling gold worth 5 billion soums from Kyrgyzstan

A person attempting to illegally import jewelry worth 5 billion 213 million soums from Kyrgyzstan into Uzbekistan has been detained, the State Security Service reported.

According to the information, during an operational inspection, a citizen born in 1992 was stopped at a traffic checkpoint while crossing the border from Kyrgyzstan into the Fergana region through the “Vodil Avto” border customs post. He was searched by established procedures.

As a result, it was discovered that the individual was hiding a total of 859 pieces of jewelry and one wristwatch imported from a neighboring country under his clothes.

Experts determined that the jewelry items, made of gold and adorned with diamonds, had a total net weight of 4 kilograms 155 grams and an estimated value of 5 billion 213 million soums.

It was revealed that these jewelry items, which were imported from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan by about 10 traders from the Andijan and Fergana regions, were to be smuggled across the border by this courier for a service fee of $400.

A criminal case has been initiated against the detainee under Article 182, Part 2, Clause “a” of the Criminal Code (violation of customs legislation). Authorities are working to identify the actual owners of the confiscated valuables.

It should be noted that earlier at Tashkent International Airport, another smuggling attempt involving jewelry worth nearly 1 billion soums was foiled. The total weight of the seized jewelry in that case was 781 grams, valued at approximately 970 million soums.