Law enforcement officials arrest drug smugglers in Astana

Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency has prevented 500 gram of marijuana from getting into the hands of perpetrators in the capital city of Astana.

According to investigators, the drugs were mailed by unidentified people from the U.S. to Almaty. The toy box was supposed to be sent to Astana, but law enforcement officials deemed it suspicious and decided to examine it more closely. They opened the box and discovered a dark green herbal substance with a strong, specific smell. The sticker on the box said that the receiver is a person in Astana, the agency reported.

During the sting operation, the FMA agents delivered the box to its receiver in Astana and saw how the suspect handed it over to another individual for packing the substance in a bunch of small packages.

All suspects have been detained and put into custody. The law enforcement agency refused to provide any details of the case, citing Article 201 of the country’s Criminal Code.

Any attempt to illegally produce, keep and distribute drugs is strongly prohibited in Kazakhstan and may be punished by 5 to 20 years in prison.

On May 5, 2023, National Security Committee officials detained a police officer who was accused of distributing synthetic drugs. Given the importance of the case, Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov has given his personal comment. He said that the ministry is going to «punish every villain» whatever position he or she holds.