Illegal gold mining activities uncovered in Navoi region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Illegal gold extraction and processing operations have been uncovered in Uzbekistan’s Navoi region, according to authorities.

The operations were conducted by officers of the State Security Service in cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

In the first case, a 38-year-old resident of Pakhtachi district in Samarkand region was found to have organized an illegal extraction scheme. He reportedly leased a poultry farm building in Karmana district, where he set up an underground facility for processing gold ore using chemical substances.

During the operation, authorities seized 200 kilograms of semi-processed gold, 200 bags of gold-bearing sand and rock, around 300 kilograms of chemical reagents, and specialized equipment.

Preliminary estimates put the damage to state interests and the environment at more than 7 billion soums. A criminal case has been opened under Article 196-2 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, which provides liability for unauthorized artisanal mining of mineral resources.

Investigative actions are ongoing.

In a second case identified in Navbahor district, the head of a local enterprise allegedly organized illegal gold mining using a forged permit. The activities were carried out on the territory of the “Sarmishsay” state museum-reserve over an area of 8 hectares, involving 19 workers.

Law enforcement officers seized 6 kilograms of semi-processed gold, more than 430 tons of gold-bearing ore, 1.4 kilograms of chemical substances, as well as vehicles and equipment.

Preliminary data indicates that damages in this case exceeded 6.1 billion soums. Laboratory examinations have been appointed, and an assessment of environmental damage is currently underway.