Kazakh authorities seized 6.4 tons of narcotic substances in the first half of 2025, Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov announced at a recent meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission on Crime Prevention.

For comparison, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported a total of 21 tons of drugs confiscated in 2024. That figure included 547 kilograms of synthetic substances, 2.5 kilograms of heroin, over 10 tons of marijuana, and 572 kilograms of hashish. Authorities also recorded more than 8,000 drug-related offenses, dismantled 63 drug laboratories, and identified 7,400 internet resources involved in the distribution of drug-related content.

Between January and June 2025, the volume of synthetic drugs seized nearly doubled compared to the same period last year, reaching 570 kilograms. In addition, law enforcement blocked over 17,000 drug-related websites and detained 474 individuals on drug charges, including 28 administrators of Telegram channels. Authorities shut down 103 underground drug labs and uncovered 63 drug smuggling cases.

Twenty-one criminal cases have been opened against organized drug trafficking groups, including three transnational networks.

Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova reported that more than 17,000 individuals suffering from drug addiction are registered with medical facilities across Kazakhstan. While the number of opioid users has declined by 50 percent over the past five years, there has been a marked rise in addictions linked to synthetic stimulants and poly-drug use.

In response to these developments, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has ordered the implementation of stricter mechanisms to identify and block online drug content and to restrict financial transactions associated with drug trafficking.

“The increase in drug use among young people is particularly concerning,” Bektenov stated. “Distribution occurs via the internet, postal services, hidden ‘stash’ drops, and anonymous electronic payments, removing direct contact between dealers and consumers.”

The Prime Minister also called for tighter control over the dispensation of addictive pharmaceuticals, the expansion of rehabilitation centers including those for minors, and stronger efforts for early detection and treatment of drug dependence.

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Central Asia remains a significant transit corridor for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan. However, the situation is becoming increasingly complex, as more drugs are now being consumed within the region itself.

Kazakhstan is preparing legislative amendments that will significantly increase criminal liability for violence against medical personnel, equating such offenses with attacks on law enforcement officers.

The initiative follows a directive from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who urged the government to take stronger action to protect medical staff amid a growing number of violent incidents. At a recent meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov reviewed proposals presented by Health Minister Akmaral Alnazarova.

The Ministry of Health is drafting legislation that would classify attacks on healthcare workers in the same legal category as assaults on police officers. Proposed measures also include equipping staff with smart video badges, installing comprehensive security systems in hospitals, and deploying permanent police posts in emergency departments.

Under the current Criminal Code, an attack on a law enforcement officer is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while attempted murder carries a sentence of 10 to 15 years with property confiscation.

Speaking at a briefing, Minister Alnazarova announced the introduction of a new article in the Criminal Code addressing threats and violence against medical workers. Threats alone could result in up to two years’ restriction of liberty. Violence against a single medical worker may carry a sentence of 1 to 10 years, while attacks involving multiple perpetrators or targeting groups of workers could lead to up to 15 years of imprisonment.

“These are adequate and necessary measures to protect our medical workers,” Alnazarova said, adding that the bill would be submitted to the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, in September.

According to the Health Ministry, over 170 cases of violence against doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other healthcare staff have been recorded in Kazakhstan since 2019.

“Such incidents must be resolutely suppressed by legal means,” Bektenov emphasized. “I instruct the ministries of health, internal affairs, and justice to develop and submit the necessary legislative amendments to parliament within ten days.”

As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, two recent assaults on medical personnel in Kazakhstan resulted in hospitalizations. In response, the health minister issued a public appeal urging an end to violence against medical staff.