The Department of the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM) for the East Kazakhstan Region has uncovered a case of illegal extraction of precious metals and unauthorised use of subsoil in the Ulan District.
According to the press service of the agency, EastGoldStone LLP, without a licence, had been extracting gold for two years by diverting the course of the Shybyndy River. The company used heavy machinery and industrial ore-processing equipment.
The environmental damage caused by the enterprise's activities exceeded 300 million tenge. During a search, 6.7 kg of gold worth 382 million tenge was seized from the suspects.
The alleged organiser has been placed in custody for a period of 2 months. The investigation is ongoing.
Such cases are not isolated — in February, a similar scheme was suppressed in the Zhitikara District of the Kostanay Region. There, a plot of land intended for agricultural production was used for the illegal extraction of gold.