Weapons, cash and thousands of bottles: Interior Ministry carries out large-scale operation

Tengrinews.kz — Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry has disrupted the activities of groups involved in the illegal trafficking of potent drugs, according to Polisia.kz.
It was reported that in October, supply channels and illegal distribution schemes were dismantled in several regions. Members of a criminal group that had organized the supply and distribution of such drugs in Kokshetau, Shchuchinsk and the Burabay resort area were detained simultaneously.

“A total of 11 suspects were detained, including owners and employees of pharmaceutical companies, couriers and other individuals. During searches, more than 50,000 bottles of Tropicamide and around 4,000 other similar products were seized. Firearms, ammunition, several vehicles and a large amount of cash, including foreign currency, were also discovered and confiscated,” the report said.

Similar operations were carried out in Karaganda and Temirtau, where a group of 10 people was detained, including representatives of the local criminal community. Evidence was collected of their involvement in the distribution of potent psychotropic drugs in Karaganda Region.
Psychoactive substances, traumatic weapons and bladed weapons were found and seized during searches. A pre-trial investigation is underway.
Such crimes pose a serious threat to the public and can have severe consequences for people’s lives and health, said Kuandyk Alpys, a representative of the Interior Ministry’s Organized Crime Control Department.

“The measures taken made it possible to shut down several channels for the illegal distribution of potent drugs at once, remove a significant volume of dangerous products from illegal circulation and prevent their further spread among the population,” he stressed.