Illegal Gold Mining Stopped in Navoi Region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Illegal gold mining has been halted in Navoi region, according to the press service of the State Security Service.

The agency reported that in the summer of 2025, a criminal group began unauthorized extraction of precious metals on land plots in the Sarmyschsoy mountain system within the Kalkonota mahalla of Navbahor district.

Over several months, the perpetrators created artificial ponds and spoil sites, collected gold-containing rock, and managed to extract 9,928 grams of precious metal, with a total value of 15.55 billion soums.

A criminal case has been initiated under paragraph “a” of Part 3 of Article 196‑1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (“Extraction of minerals without permission causing particularly large damage”).

Operational and investigative measures are ongoing to determine the involvement of members of the organized criminal group in other offenses and to identify all participants in the illegal activity.