Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Officers of the State Security Service in Andijan and Ferghana regions have detained a man attempting to illegally bring a large quantity of jewelry into Uzbekistan.

The individual, born in 1992 and a resident of Andijan, was stopped at the “Vodil Avto” customs checkpoint while crossing the border from the Kyrgyz Republic into Fergana region. During inspection, officials discovered 859 pieces of jewelry and a wristwatch hidden under his clothing.

An expert evaluation confirmed that all the items were made of gold and adorned with diamonds. The total net weight of the jewelry was 4 kilograms and 155 grams, with an estimated market value of 5 billion 213 million soums.

Preliminary investigation revealed that around ten merchants from the Andijan and Fergana regions had brought the jewelry from Türkiye to Kyrgyzstan. The detained man was paid $400 to smuggle the items into Uzbekistan.

A criminal case has been opened under Part 2, Subparagraph “a” of Article 182 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (“Smuggling”). Authorities are currently working to identify the owners of the seized valuables.