Two residents of Almaty have been illegally selling vapes in bulk for several months. The traders did not have business licenses, prompting the Financial Monitoring Agency to initiate pre-trial investigations against them.
During operational and investigative activities in the city, commercial and warehouse premises were identified where more than 55,000 electronic cigarettes were found and confiscated.
Following a court verdict, two city residents were found guilty. One of them was fined over 3,450,000 tenge, while the other was sentenced to 1 year of restricted freedom and 100 hours of forced labor.
The confiscated physical evidence has been disposed of. On April 19, 2024, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law prohibiting the sale and distribution of non-smoking tobacco products, vapes, flavorings, and liquids for them, as well as their advertising.
