Police seize 120 kg of marijuana in Zhambyl region raids

September 16, 2026 at 02:06 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Police in Kazakhstan's Zhambyl region seized 120 kg of finished drugs and raw material during the 'Qarasora-2026' operation. Six local residents were detained in three separate raids across Merke and Shu districts and at Turksib station. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened under Article 296, Part 4 of the Criminal Code.

Key Facts

Police seized 120 kg of finished drugs and raw material in Zhambyl region during the 'Qarasora-2026' operation.
Six local residents were detained in three separate raids across Merke and Shu districts and at Turksib station.
In Merke district, a man was caught extracting 20 kg of marijuana from an underground cache; he had prior convictions for drug sales.
In Shu district, three men were detained while digging up a cache containing five bags of dried marijuana weighing 72 kg.
At Turksib station on the Shu–Tatti railway section, two men were detained with 25 kg of cannabis plants.

Seizures and Detentions

Police in Zhambyl region seized 120 kg of finished drugs and raw material during the 'Qarasora-2026' operation. In Merke district near the village of Qarasu, a local resident was caught red-handed while extracting 20 kg of marijuana from an underground cache. The man had been repeatedly convicted for drug sales, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In Shu district near one of the factories, police detained three local residents while they were digging up a cache containing five bags of dried marijuana with a total weight of 72 kg. Two of those detained had previously been prosecuted for illegal drug trafficking.

Railway Interception and Legal Action

At Turksib station on the Shu–Tatti railway section, police detained two local residents and seized 25 kg of cannabis plants. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated under Article 296, Part 4 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan for storage of drugs on an especially large scale. All detainees have been placed in a temporary detention facility. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that work to block cannabis transit channels from southern regions continues during the active phase of 'Qarasora-2026'.