Kazakh, Russian Police Intercept Cross-Border Drug Smuggling Route - Interior Ministry

ALMATY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd May, 2022) The Kazakh and Russian Interior Ministries' departments for countering drug-related crimes carried out a special operation from October 2021 to April 2022 to eliminate a transnational channel of synthetic drugs smuggling and drug-making laboratories, the Kazakh Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

"As a result of simultaneously conducted activities in the cities of Omsk (southern Russia) and Taraz (southern Kazakhstan), police arrested a main shipper of synthetic drugs in Russia and a recipient in Kazakhstan. During searches at the defendants' places of residence, large drug laboratories were found," the ministry said in a statement.

The suspect produced synthetic drugs and sent them by post to Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, it added.

"He used forged documents, passing parcels off as different goods, such as machine oil, household chemicals and others," according to the statement.

The police seized a total of about 573 Pounds of drugs, at estimated cost of over $9.5 million, the statement said.