In Turkestan, a verdict was passed on two local residents — R. Omashev and E. Tashpulatov — for the production and sale of non-smoking tobacco products (snus).
According to the press service of the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM), during a special operation law enforcement officers shut down an underground workshop covering an area of 1,000 sq m. The facility employed over 30 workers daily.
“The criminal scheme has been established – from raw material procurement and logistics organisation to distribution channels through major wholesale suppliers in Astana, Almaty and Shymkent,” the statement said.
Seized from illegal circulation were 635 boxes of finished banned products and 57 canisters of flavourings and toxic additives posing a danger to the life and health of citizens.
By court order, the production equipment, as well as a vehicle purchased with criminal proceeds, were placed under seizure.
Ultimately, the organisers of the illegal business were found guilty and sentenced to fines. The vehicle and equipment were confiscated to the state. The verdict has not yet entered into legal force.
For context, in July, the AFM department for the Aktobe region and the border service of Kazakhstan prevented an attempt to illegally import vapes. At the Zhaissan-Avtomobilny border crossing point, two trucks travelling from Russia were detained.
A large batch of banned products was discovered in the vehicles: 13,000 vapes, 2,000 units of vaping liquid and 14,000 units of non-smoking tobacco products. In connection with this incident, the court sentenced two individuals to a term of imprisonment of 6 months.