Attempted Smuggling of 3.5 Million Packs of Cigarettes Foiled at Kazakh-Kyrgyz Border

Initially, the vehicles were purported to be in transit from Kyrgyzstan to Türkiye, supposedly transporting beans, as indicated in shipping documents. However, upon inspection, authorities discovered over 3.5 million packs of cigarettes, including brands such as Milano, Cavallo, Platinum, and Taj. To address the situation, all pertinent materials were handed over to the Department of Economic Investigations for the Zhambyl region.

This incident comes amidst heightened efforts in the region to combat illicit trade activities. In March alone, joint operational and preventive measures were conducted by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Border Service of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan to curtail the unlawful movement of goods.

Previous instances of smuggling were also uncovered earlier in the month. On March 5, during an inspection of three passenger buses traveling from Kyrgyzstan without passengers, authorities seized over 8,000 items of consumer goods, including clothing, plumbing fixtures, hoses, tea, face masks, shoe bags, and backpacks, all lacking proper documentation.

Subsequent investigations on March 10 and 11 revealed attempts to illegally import Oris cigarettes from Kyrgyzstan. In one instance, 12,700 packs of Oris cigarettes were concealed in the cache of a gas tank of a passenger bus, while another incident involved the discovery of 2,500 packs of Oris cigarettes hidden in the gas tanks of two cars.

Authorities highlighted that these enforcement actions have led to an increase in the detection of individuals engaging in cross-border smuggling activities, colloquially known as “nesuns.” Such activities are subject to scrutiny under tax legislation for engaging in entrepreneurial activities without proper authorization.