Gold never rusts, but always corrupts: Inside Kazakhstan’s troubled Altynalmas mine

A criminal network involving local residents, Altynalmas employees and the company’s security service has been uncovered at Kazakhstan’s Akbakai gold deposit. The group illegally mined, processed and exported gold from the site, according to the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The scheme caused more than $770,000 in damages to the enterprise, Kuandyk Alpys, a spokesperson for the ministry’s department for combating organized crime, said in a statement.

Authorities detained the alleged organizer and his accomplices in coordinated operations across four regions. Overall, more than 50 people were taken into custody. Police also seized approximately six kilograms of gold and shut down eight underground ore-processing facilities.

The criminal investigation involves multiple charges, including those related to organizing, leading and participating in a criminal group. Further details are being withheld due to the ongoing investigation, Alpys said.

Officials continue to investigate smuggling routes, illegal gold circulation networks and the identities of the operation’s ultimate beneficiaries.

The Akbakai mine is owned and operated by Altynalmas, one of Kazakhstan’s leading gold producers. The deposit, discovered in 1968, is located in the Moyinkum district of the Zhambyl region, near the village of Akbakai.