According to Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA), law enforcement officials have dismantled an illegal gold mining operation involving more than 30 people, including several Chinese citizens.
The illegal mining took place on a 30-hectare site in the Markakol district near the village of Akbulak in eastern Kazakhstan. Although the suspects did not have permits to mine gold, they used heavy machinery and industrial-scale processing equipment.
After inspecting the site, authorities said the operation had caused significant environmental damage. The fertile topsoil was destroyed, the natural landscape was disrupted and the riverbed was altered.
«More than 30 workers, including Chinese citizens, were involved in the illegal activity,» the FMA said.
Law enforcement officers seized six 40-ton dump trucks, four crawler excavators, a front-end loader, and two industrial gold ore mining and washing complexes.
The investigation is ongoing. The agency did not release any additional details.
