Since the start of the year, Kazakhstan has suppressed 25 cases of illegal sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems. Currently, 37 criminal cases are under investigation, and more than 276,000 electronic nicotine delivery systems have been seized from illegal circulation.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE ILLEGAL VAPE TRADE
According to the Agency for Financial Monitoring (AFM), 14 criminal cases against 18 individuals have been sent to court. The agency notes that, despite the existing ban on the circulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems, cases of their illegal import and sale continue to be recorded.
The AFM also drew attention to the spread of prohibited products among young people and minors.
WHAT THE INVESTIGATION FOUND
The capital's AFM department is investigating the activities of a group that, according to the agency, organised the illegal trade in vapes. Rented warehouses and offices were used to store the products, with sales carried out through online shops and the Telegram, WhatsApp and Zangi messaging apps.
According to the AFM, bank accounts of an individual entrepreneur were used to process payments. Buyers were advised to say they had purchased household appliances. The total amount of money passing through the accounts exceeded 3.2 billion tenge.
WHO WAS SENTENCED TO RESTRICTION OF LIBERTY
In the Karaganda region, the organisers of a vape online shop on Telegram were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of restriction of liberty.
According to AFM materials, the scheme involved four warehouses, online shop operators and couriers. During searches, around 30,000 electronic nicotine delivery systems worth 340 million tenge were seized.
WHAT SCHEME WAS USED TO SELL VAPES
In the Ulytau region, guilty verdicts were handed down to two local residents who organised the illegal sale of vapes using a so-called "dropper" scheme.
A bank account registered to a courier was used to receive and transfer money. The court sentenced each of them to 4 years of restriction of liberty with confiscation of criminal proceeds.
The AFM reminds that the illegal import, storage, transportation and sale of electronic nicotine delivery systems, as well as the legalisation of income from such activities, incur criminal liability.
