Officers of the Drug Crime Prevention Unit of the Karaganda Regional Police Department, with the assistance of the regional prosecutor's office, conducted a large-scale special operation to dismantle a clandestine synthetic drug laboratory.
According to Polisia.kz, operatives detained two residents of the region on suspicion of organising a laboratory for the production of synthetic drugs.
As specified, searches were carried out in a rented residential house in the Sortirovka settlement. Police officers discovered over one tonne of precursors, more than 52 kg of the finished substance 'Alpha-PVP', as well as equipment used in the illegal production: scales, mixers, dryers, vacuum sealers, containers, and other items.
According to the head of the Drug Crime Prevention Department, Galymzhan Bekbulatov, the operation prevented about 173 thousand doses of synthetic drugs from reaching the black market. It is noted that at the same time, they managed to prevent the involvement of new participants in the illegal activity, including suspected couriers and stash-planters.
According to preliminary data, the suspects rented the house to set up the clandestine laboratory and manufactured psychotropic substances on the instructions of a supervisor. They received payment in cryptocurrency.
A criminal case has been opened on this matter. The suspects have been placed in a temporary detention facility. A pre-trial investigation is underway.
It may be recalled that earlier in Almaty, the largest single shipment of cocaine in the country's history, weighing 13 tonnes 183 kilograms, was seized.
It was reported that the cargo was intended for onward transit through the territory of Kazakhstan to other countries. Two foreign nationals have been detained on suspicion of involvement in organising the drug trafficking channel.