Key Takeaways
- Scope: Kazakhstan’s Almaty and Pavlodar Region
- Method: Sales via Telegram; courier delivery
- Seizure: Over 131,000 vapes
- Value: 711 million tenge (about $1.422 million, at 1 tenge = $0.0020)
- Assets: Four vehicles and a four-room Almaty apartment seized; confiscation process initiated
- Status: Five suspects taken into custody
2Firsts, March 4, 2026
According to Ustinka LIVE, investigators allege the suspects were involved in the illicit circulation of electronic vaping devices in Kazakhstan’s Almaty and Pavlodar Region, establishing a steady sales scheme that included Telegram-based distribution with courier delivery.
During searches, authorities seized more than 131,000 vapes valued at 711 million tenge (about $1.422 million, at 1 tenge = $0.0020). The financial monitoring authority (AFM) said the sales were primarily oriented toward a youth audience, including underage school students and university students, posing a direct threat to their health. The AFM also said that after exposure and the imposition of preventive measures, a suspect allegedly continued coordinating the group through affiliated individuals while using heightened concealment measures.
Authorities said criminal proceeds were used to purchase four vehicles and a four-room apartment in an elite residential building in Almaty. The assets have been seized and a confiscation process has begun. Five suspects have been placed in custody.
Image Source: Ustinka LIVE
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