Police officers shut down an illegal drug laboratory in the Karassay District of the Almaty Region. During the search, law enforcement seized more than 28 kg of the synthetic drug α-PVP, 880 litres of precursors and specialised equipment.
HOW THE ILLEGAL OPERATION WAS DISCOVERED
According to Polisia.kz, officers from the anti-drug crime units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) conducted operational and investigative measures and shut down the illegal production operating in the territory of the Karassay District of the Almaty Region.
It was established that a 29-year-old citizen had purchased a private house and equipped it for the production of synthetic drugs. The supply of equipment and chemical reagents, as well as the manufacture of prohibited substances, were coordinated via the dark web.
WHAT WAS SEIZED DURING THE SEARCH
During the investigative actions, law enforcement officers discovered and seized more than 28 kg of α-PVP, 880 litres of precursors and specialised laboratory equipment.
As noted by the Deputy Chairman of the Anti-Drug Crime Committee of the MVD, Yeldar Abdikenov, the seized batch was the first produced in the laboratory. Its volume was equivalent to approximately 125,000 single doses.
WHAT INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED
A pre-trial investigation is underway regarding the discovered production under Article 297-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal manufacture, processing and production of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues, as well as precursors").
The sanctions of the article provide for penalties up to and including life imprisonment.
WHAT THE MVD STATED
According to Yeldar Abdikenov, combating drug crime remains one of the priority areas of state policy. The department emphasised that work to identify and disrupt channels for the production of synthetic drugs is being carried out on a systematic basis.