A man has been detained in Uzbekistan after attempting to smuggle gold bars worth more than 300 million soums into the country.

The incident occurred at the “Navoi” border customs post, where officers stopped a citizen trying to cross the state border on foot, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

His behavior raised suspicion, prompting officials to conduct an additional inspection using a body scanner.

During the search, customs officers discovered undeclared gold bars hidden inside the man’s shoes. The total weight of the seized gold amounted to 338 grams, with an estimated value of 316 million soums.

Authorities confirmed that the gold had not been properly declared in accordance with customs regulations. A customs investigation has been launched to determine the full circumstances of the attempted illegal import.