Nearly 1 Billion Soums’ Worth of Foreign Currency Smuggling Prevented in Tashkent Region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Authorities in the Tashkent region have prevented an attempt to illegally transport nearly 1 billion soums’ worth of foreign currency out of the country, the State Security Service reported.

The operation, conducted jointly with customs authorities, targeted the prevention of cash foreign currency smuggling through Kazakhstan using a network of “couriers.”

During the operation, the leader of the group — a citizen born in 1995 — was detained in the Tashkent district while handing over 5,622,000 Russian rubles to a “courier” for smuggling in small batches.

Investigators later seized an additional 11,220 US dollars from the suspect’s vehicle and residence. Procedural documents identifying the true owners of the funds were also prepared.

A criminal case has been opened against the detainee under Article 25.182, Part 2, paragraph “a” of the Criminal Code.

He has been placed in pre-trial detention. The investigation is ongoing.