In the Sayram District of the Turkestan region, a workshop producing smokeless tobacco products - snus - was discovered.
"Under the coordination of the Turkestan Regional Prosecutor's Office and the phased implementation of special measures, the Department of Economic Investigations for the Turkestan Region has exposed the activities of a mini-plant producing smokeless tobacco products", the press service of the regional prosecutor's office reported.
It is noted that prosecutors uncovered the entire criminal scheme, from raw material procurement and logistics to sales channels through wholesale suppliers in Astana and Almaty.
The workshop covers an area of more than 1,000 square metres. Law enforcement officers seized banned products, equipment for their manufacture, 10 million packs, 14 tonnes of tobacco, flavourings, and toxic additives.
A pre-trial investigation has been launched against the organisers and participants of the criminal group under Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Trafficking in smokeless tobacco products, electronic consumption systems (vapes), flavourings, and liquids for them).
Recall that in December last year, it was reported that over three days, police seized more than 7 tonnes of alcohol-containing products without the relevant documents from illegal circulation. Approximately 160,000 packs of illegal cigarettes, over 26,000 vapes, around 34,000 cartridges for them, 35,000 oil cubes, and more than a thousand packs of snus were confiscated.