(22 January 2026 | Source: Financial Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan)
In the Shemonaikha district of the East Kazakhstan region, an investigation into a case of illegal extraction of solid minerals has been completed. According to the investigation, a company that held a licence only for geological exploration actually extracted more than 70,000 tonnes of iron-bearing rock mass, generating income of over 1 billion tenge.
HOW THE EXTRACTION WAS CARRIED OUT
As reported by the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA), the work was conducted at the 'Glinskoye' deposit. Despite having no permit for industrial development, the site was used for extraction, processing and storage of raw materials. The products were sold on the domestic market as well as exported to the People's Republic of China (PRC).
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE
Heavy specialised machinery was used during the extraction. According to the investigation, this led to the disruption of the natural landscape and land degradation. The amount of environmental damage is not specified in the investigation materials.
INCOME AND SEIZURE OF PROPERTY
The total volume of illegally extracted products exceeded 70,000 tonnes, and the amount of income generated, according to the investigation, amounted to more than 1 billion tenge.
With these funds, the suspect purchased a business centre, an apartment in Almaty, a Land Rover Range Rover, two parking spaces and two land plots. By court order, all of this property has been seized.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
This is not the first case of illegal mining in the East Kazakhstan region. In August 2025, the FMA department for the East Kazakhstan region uncovered illegal gold mining in the Ulan district, and in October 2025 a similar investigation was launched in the Samara district in cooperation with the National Security Committee (NSC).
In both cases, it involved unauthorised use of subsoil without licences, and investigations are ongoing.