Uzbek court sentences smugglers in case of underground tunnel dug across border to Kyrygzstan

By bne IntelIiNews May 4, 2023

An Uzbek court has sentenced several individuals for smuggling goods to and from Kyrgyzstan through an illegally dug tunnel on private property near the Kyrgyz border, RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service reported on May 3.

The court handed down prison terms of between six and seven years to three men, while three other defendants were handed parole-like sentences.

The owner of the property where the tunnel was found was said to have 2,707 mobile phones in his possession, for which he could not produce sales documents.

Authorities launched an investigation after they discovered an entrance to the tunnel in a private house in the town of Rishton in July last year. Since 2021, Kyrgyz authorities have found at least four similar tunnels.

Related Articles

Second high-level EU-Central Asia meeting held in Kyrgyzstan

President of the European Council Charles Michel on June 2 met with four of the five presidents of Central Asia as well as with Turkmenistan’s deputy chair of the cabinet in Cholpon-Ata, ... more

Expect construction start on China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway this year says Uzbek rail official

Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railroad is expected to kick off this year as economic relationships between Beijing and Tashkent are becoming closer, an Uzbekistan ... more

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan sign landmark agreements with UK to protect workers

The United Kingdom’s Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has signed agreements with the governments of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to strengthen protections for workers arriving in the UK, ... more

Dismiss