In the city of Khanabad in the Andijan region, two underground tunnels leading to the village of Bekabad in the Suzak district of the Jalal-Abad region of Kyrgyzstan were uncovered on March 17th, as reported by the Uzbekistan State Security Service.
The tunnels, with a depth of 20m, width of 70-80cm, and height of 170-180cm, had lengths of 350m and 135m respectively. A transnational criminal group, composed of citizens from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, was using these tunnels for transporting goods and valuables, the report stated.
During a covert operation, a Kyrgyz citizen was apprehended while attempting to smuggle 813 mobile phones and 1745g of gold bars and jewelry out of Uzbekistan. Subsequently, the identities of his accomplices in Andijan were uncovered, leading to the seizure of mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and accessories transported through the tunnels using three makeshift carts.
The group possessed a total of 3813 mobile phones of various brands, 50 tablets, 97 laptops, over 1000 accessories, as well as 1745g of gold and jewelry, amounting to a preliminary total value of 11 billion Uzbekistani som. A criminal case has been initiated, and a preliminary investigation is underway.
