Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Bust Cross-Border Fuel Smuggling Operation

The Kazakh Financial Monitoring Agency has announced that authorities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan uncovered an elaborate underground tunnel used for smuggling oil products across the border.

The illegal operation was exposed following a joint special operation coordinated by the Kazakh Prosecutor’s Office, involving the Turkestan Regional Department of the Financial Monitoring Agency, the National Security Committee, and with active support from Uzbek law enforcement agencies, The Caspian Post reports, citing Uzbek media.

The investigation led to the discovery of a 450-meter underground trench in a border area, through which fuel and lubricants were being illegally pumped from Kazakhstan into Uzbekistan.

According to the case materials, the smuggling route had been operational for approximately two months. During that time, the organizers developed a well-structured logistics network, arranged foreign funding, and created a sophisticated supply chain to facilitate cross-border fuel deliveries.

Simultaneously, Uzbek authorities launched their own enforcement actions, successfully identifying all participants in the transnational operation, including several Uzbek nationals.

In Kazakhstan, five individuals, all Kazakh citizens, have been formally charged in connection with the smuggling scheme. The investigation has concluded, and the case has been referred to court for prosecution.