In the Kostanay region, the police, in cooperation with the prosecutor's office, have stopped the activities of a group suspected of illegally harvesting and selling timber.
According to Polisia.kz, one of the individuals involved acquired the right to manage a forest fund plot at an auction and used it as a cover for illegal felling of forest plantations.
It is reported that the scheme included the harvesting of pine and its subsequent sale through controlled channels.
The police seized special equipment, vehicles, harvested timber, and documentation related to the circulation of raw materials. 20 individuals — alleged organisers, executors, and intermediaries — were taken to the police station.
It is noted that the investigation has obtained initial testimonies and materials which confirm the existence of the illegal scheme. Law enforcement agencies are determining the volume of felled trees and the amount of damage caused.
To recall, in early November, a court in Almaty ordered the construction company «Alem Qurylys AQ» to carry out compensatory planting of 2200 trees after the ecology department discovered the felling of green spaces at the site of a future clinic in the Bostandyk district.
Earlier, the contractor had undertaken an obligation to ensure the preservation of green spaces not subject to demolition.