Names have been changed.
On the defendants' bench were Bolot, Bakhtiyar, and Rasul. According to the case materials, Bolot and a certain J. A. devised a method for the illegal importation of narcotic substances into Kyrgyzstan and involved Bakhtiyar and Rasul in their scheme. They were assisted by unidentified individuals located outside the country, who organized the shipment of cargo via air from Turkey to Uzbekistan, and then through the customs border of Kyrgyzstan.
As indicated in the case materials, Bolot and J. A. planned to import mixtures of poppy plant seeds, packaged in plastic bags, for subsequent transportation outside the republic. Bakhtiyar and Rasul were responsible for carrying out these actions.
In October 2023, a cargo labeled as "dry food" arrived in Kyrgyzstan from Turkey, consisting of 990 plastic bags with a total weight of 24,680 kg. Before its arrival, Bolot and a representative of the LLC coordinated the customs clearance. The documents indicated the presence of "food poppy" in the same quantity and weight, valued at $6,170.
After passing through customs, the cargo was planned to be transported through Kazakhstan. However, during an inspection, the staff of the UNODC and the GKNB discovered that the bags contained poppy mixed with plant straw of unknown origin.
Investigators established that a similar cargo had been sent to Uzbekistan in the summer of 2023. An examination showed that 8,500.88 kg of the total cargo weight constituted a narcotic substance - poppy straw. The recipient, K. S. K., stated during interrogation that at Bolot's request, he arranged for the delivery of poppy and received monetary compensation for it. Similar testimony was given by R. R., who was a trusted person during the customs clearance.
According to the verdict of the First May District Court of Bishkek:
- Bolot was found guilty on several counts of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, including smuggling and illegal production of drugs, and was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property, serving the sentence in a general regime colony, and deprivation of the right to engage in economic activities for up to three years.
- Bakhtiyar also received 11 years of imprisonment with similar sanctions.
- Rasul, found guilty, was sentenced to 11 years with confiscation of property, serving the sentence in a general regime colony, and after serving his sentence, he is subject to expulsion, as he is a citizen of Kazakhstan.
The prosecutor of the Bishkek prosecutor's office disagreed with the decision and filed a cassation appeal, indicating that the defendants were charged with other crimes, but the courts found them not guilty despite the evidence available.
The lawyers of the convicted in their cassation appeals requested the annulment of the court decisions and the acquittal of their clients, arguing that the charges were not substantiated during the trial, and the defense arguments were not given proper consideration.
After discussing the arguments of the cassation appeal and hearing the opinions of the parties, the judicial panel of the Supreme Court concluded that the courts of the first and appellate instances rightly found the men guilty of smuggling and illegal production of drugs.
The prosecutor's cassation appeal was left unsatisfied, as were the cassation appeals of the lawyers.
Photo on the main page is illustrative: pronarkology.ru.
