Underground Gold Processing Sites Found In East Kazakhstan

Police have uncovered a major illegal gold mining and processing scheme in the East Kazakhstan region,  Orda.kz reports.

According to the Interior Ministry, the organizers disguised the underground operation as the work of a legal company.

Police detained 63 people, including alleged group leaders and 13 foreign citizens.

During the searches, police seized special equipment, vehicles, documents, gold, gold-containing raw materials and cash, including more than $40,000,the ministry said.

The detainees are accused not only of illegal trafficking in precious metals, but also of causing environmental damage. Police said the illegal miners destroyed the soil cover and changed the natural landscape of the area.

Experts are now calculating the exact amount of damage.

A pre-trial investigation has been launched. Kuandyk Alpys, a representative of the Interior Ministry’s Department for Combating Organized Crime, said investigators are identifying all participants in the scheme.

Original author: Eva Golovintseva

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