smuggling - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan to Crack Down on “Gray” Smartphones

Starting March 24, 2025, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry will require telecom operators to verify the IMEI codes of smartphones and disconnect illegally purchased devices. According to ministry officials, the new regulation will apply only to phones purchased after March 24, 2025. Under the new system, all smartphones in Kazakhstan will be categorized into three lists based on their IMEI codes: White List: Legally purchased smartphones. Gray List: Devices with suspicious IMEI codes, such as duplicates. Owners will have 30 days to confirm their device's legitimacy. Black List: Stolen or counterfeit phones, which will be blocked from network access. “The goal of these new regulations is to combat the circulation of illegal devices,” said Dias Tolegenov, head of the Monitoring and Development of Wireless Projects Department at the ministry’s Telecommunications Committee. Phones imported before March 24, 2025, will not be affected by the new rules. Buyers can already check a device’s IMEI code on a dedicated government portal to avoid purchasing illegal or counterfeit smartphones. Azamat Seriktaev, another ministry representative, noted that blocking stolen phones through IMEI registration will help reduce mobile device theft. Meanwhile, the regulations are expected to curb the flow of illegally imported or fraudulently registered devices. According to Mazhilis deputy Ekaterina Smyshlyaeva, 64% of mobile devices in Kazakhstan’s market are imported through illegal or “gray” schemes: “In 2024, the state lost nearly 100 billion tenge (approximately $196 million) in unpaid value-added tax (VAT) due to these illegal imports.” She outlined several common fraudulent practices, including: Customs Evasion: Phones are imported without proper customs clearance. Mislabeling: High-end smartphones are registered as budget models to reduce tax liabilities. IMEI Duplication: Fraudsters copy the IMEI numbers of legally imported devices and assign them to multiple smuggled phones - sometimes up to five or six per code. “Often, people check a new phone’s IMEI and find out that, according to the system, it was manufactured 10 years ago,” Smyshlyaeva noted. To further tighten control, Smyshlyaeva suggested: Integrating IMEI registration with customs data to detect fraudulent imports. Automatically cross-checking IMEI numbers with the Customs Register of Intellectual Property Objects. Limiting personal imports to two smartphones per year per individual to prevent bulk smuggling. Separately, Mazhilis deputy and former Education Minister Askhat Aimagambetov have proposed restrictions on children’s use of smartphones in schools. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, Kyrgyzstan is considering similar measures in schools and universities.

U.S. Weapons Smuggled into Russia via Kyrgyzstan, Authorities State

Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB) has claimed that it has uncovered and dismantled a criminal group that operated a smuggling network transporting firearms, ammunition, and military uniforms from the United States to Russia via Kyrgyzstan. According to Kyrgyz security services, the smuggling operation began in April 2022 and involved individuals from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and the United States. The group illegally transported and sold firearms, including Glock, CZ, and SIG Sauer pistols, as well as assault rifles, shotguns, and corresponding ammunition. “It was established that Kyrgyz citizens and other individuals - whose names are not being disclosed due to the ongoing investigation - purchased firearms from U.S. manufacturers via online platforms. These weapons were then concealed in shipments disguised as video equipment and transported to Kyrgyzstan. Once in the country, the main firearm components were assembled, creating ready-to-use weapons, which were subsequently smuggled into Russia for illegal sale,” the GKNB stated. Authorities estimate that since 2022, more than 300 firearms have been trafficked from the United States to Russia through this scheme. On January 23, 2025, a Kyrgyz citizen was caught while receiving another shipment of weapons from the United States. Law enforcement officials seized two barrels from a combat assault rifle and a barrel from a Glock-34 pistol. The suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention at a GKNB detention center following a court decision. Special services continue to identify other individuals involved in the operation.

Underground Smuggling Tunnel Uncovered on Uzbek-Kazakh Border

Under the coordination of Kazakhstan’s Turkestan Region Prosecutor’s Office and in cooperation with Uzbek law enforcement, authorities dismantled a criminal group and shut down a tunnel used for smuggling petroleum products. One tunnel, stretching 450 meters between the two countries, was used to smuggle 5–7 tons of fuel and lubricants daily. The smuggling operation had been active for two months before being brought to an end. Investigations revealed that a well-organized transnational criminal group was behind the tunnel, using it to facilitate the illicit transfer of goods and funds between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s State Security Service (DXX) uncovered another illegal underground tunnel on the Tashkent-Kazakhstan border. Working in coordination with the Tashkent-Aero customs complex, border troops, and military personnel, the DXX exposed a cross-border smuggling operation involving large quantities of substandard drugs imported from India into Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan. In a related case, a similar underground passage was discovered in April in Kyrgyzstan’s Jalal-Abad region. This tunnel was being used to smuggle people and contraband goods into Uzbekistan.

Kazakhstan to Crack Down on Motor Fuel Smuggling to Kyrgyzstan

On October 8, Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency held a meeting on strengthening control over the smuggling of motor fuel from the country’s border regions. As gasoline prices in Kazakhstan are significantly lower than in neighboring Kyrgyzstan, gasoline is transported from the southern regions of Kazakhstan to northern Kyrgyzstan in passenger car gas tanks. In practical terms, drivers fill up their cars at Kazakh gas stations close to the border, then enter Kyrgyzstan and redistribute the gasoline. According to the Financial Monitoring Agency, up to 10,000 tons of fuel are exported this way monthly through the Kazakh-Kyrgyz border. Fuel is also illegally exported by railway tanks, with documents indicating other contents inside the tanks. At the meeting, the Kazakh government and law-enforcement agencies developed an algorithm of action to prevent the illegal export of motor fuel. Since the beginning of this year, Kazakh law enforcers have filed 21 criminal cases concerning the illegal export of almost 3,500 tons of fuel. Kazakh gasoline is sold in plastic bottles on northern Kyrgyzstan's roadsides and around Bishkek. The most popular gasoline, AI-92, is sold by roadside traders for 58 KGS per liter ($1 = 85 KGS), while authorized gas stations sell it for 67 KGS per liter. In 2023, Kyrgyzstan’s Tax Service confiscated 9,599 liters of illegal fuel, up from 3,422 liters in 2022.

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Illegal Underground Tunnel Unearthed on Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan Border

An illegal underground tunnel has been discovered in the border area of Tashkent and Kazakhstan, according to the State Security Service of Uzbekistan (SSS). It is noted that SSS employees were quick to call a meeting to cooperate with the “Tashkent-Aero” specialized customs complex's border troops and military personnel. The gathering exposed a cross-border criminal group's illegal importation of large quantities of substandard drugs from India through Kazakhstan to Uzbekistan. The drugs were brought into Almaty's international airport via the Delhi-Tashkent-Almaty air route. The stash was then delivered to the Dostlik settlement in the Saryogoch district of the Turkestan region, Kazakhstan, and transferred onwards to Tashkent's Orikzor neighbourhood, through a secret underground route. The horde comprised 17,048 drugs, produced in India under 107 brands including Albumin, Remdesivir, and Meropenem. Valued at 1 billion 94 million UZS (approximately $87,096.82), the drugs were retained as evidence against the smugglers who are currently being held in detention. Running a distance of 310 meters, the underground tunnel is a sophisticated construction furnished with air ventilation, lighting , carts, and ropes for cargo transportation. In a previous post, The Times of Central Asia reported on the discovery of another secret tunnel connecting Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.