How Kospayev’s Gang Seized Kazakhstan’s Alcohol Businesses

Entrepreneurs from Almaty and Atyrau were among the victims of Yeldos Kospayev’s organized crime group, known as “Lyudoed” (“The Maneater”). For years, the gang seized control of alcohol businesses through intimidation and fraud, investigator Sergei Ongirsky told the Jibek Joly TV channel, Orda.kz reports.

One victim was businessman Vidadi Akhmedov, who owned Profit Trade Group in Almaty.

That insider, Kamardin Alymov, was placed into the company’s management before Kospayev himself appeared.

Later, gang members approached Akhmedov, offering “cooperation,” which in reality meant handing over his business under threat of physical violence.

Over time, control of the company passed to Kospayev’s group.

He began to follow their instructions. The company's managers and founders resisted and knew what this would lead to. But they could not take any measures. For them, this might have been fraught at that time. Therefore, they agreed to everything and were removed. Since Akhmedov was 'blocked,' he stopped receiving funds, starting in 2018. Kospayev himself began to manage the company and conduct legal and illegal activities.

According to Ongirsky, the group expanded into illegal alcohol sales, evading taxes and running black accounts.

The gang then targeted businessman Alexander Azovsky in western Kazakhstan.

Azovsky invested 400 million tenge of his own money, while Kospayev invested nothing. The ventures brought in hundreds of millions of tenge, including through illegal trade.

When Azovsky refused to participate and offered to sell his share, he ultimately surrendered it without payment after pressure from Kospayev.

They (the victims of the raid – Ed.) understood perfectly well that this was fraught with consequences if they did not follow the instructions and, roughly speaking, did not fulfill their demands, that tomorrow there would be certain consequences in the event of failure to fulfill the conditions and demands. Therefore, they did everything as they were told. Although initially they had certain grievances towards Kospayev, Kospayev had already sent his people to talk to them 'in a certain language.' And after that, they calmed down, kept silent, seeing that lawlessness was happening, but they could not do anything.

Eventually, the businesses were returned to their owners after years of investigation and court proceedings.

Yeldos Kospayev, nicknamed “The Maneater,” was considered the right hand of the late Bolat Nazarbayev. The verdict in the case against his organized crime group was handed down in January of this year.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova