Kazakhstan Seized a Large Number of Illegal E-Cigarettes at the Nearest Chinese Port of Alashankou

Kazakhstani media has reported on a case of "illegal e-cigarette smuggling" with a value of 100 million yuan. 2FIRSTS received information by looking up data and discovered that the illegal e-cigarettes were seized by the Jiet Suzhou Alakul Customs at the border area between China and Kazakhstan. According to the map, the Alakul Customs is relatively close to the Chinese city of Alashankou, and there is a connected highway between them.

According to an article from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Almaty, Jeti-Suza (Zhetisu Region) is located in the southeast of Kazakhstan, bordering China to the east and Almaty Region to the southwest. The Alashankou-Dostyk railway border crossing is situated in this region.

The Alashankou Port is located within the boundaries of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, and it is currently the only railway and highway dual port in the western region of China, with international intermodal transportation status. The port is located at 83°36' east longitude and 45°12' north latitude, 73 kilometers away from the prefecture's capital, Zhaosu City, and 460 kilometers away from Urumqi. As of the end of 2022, a total of 39 enterprises have been registered, with plans to implement 25 projects by 2026. The Double West Highway (China West to Europe West Expressway) traverses the prefecture, making it a region with enormous potential for transit transportation.

According to reports, this state has previously uncovered numerous cases of significant e-cigarette smuggling. In May, officials from the Kazakhstan Border Guard detained 3 Kazakhstani citizens and seized 2.4 billion tenge (equivalent to over 5.3 million USD) worth of smuggled e-cigarettes at the Dostyk port.