Kazakhstan detains 69 minors for drug crimes since school year began

September 20, 2026 at 03:10 PM2 min

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

Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry detained 69 minors for drug-related offenses since the start of the school year. Of those, 40 were held for selling drugs, 27 for possession in especially large amounts, and two for advertising and promoting illegal substances. The ministry urged parents to monitor changes in children's behavior.

Key Facts

69 minors were detained in Kazakhstan for drug-related offenses since the start of the school year.
40 teenagers were detained on suspicion of selling drugs, 27 for possession in especially large amounts, and two for advertising and promoting illegal substances.
Among the detained minors, 52 are boys and 17 are girls.
Police conducted about 16,000 preventive events in schools and other educational institutions, with more than 5,000 involving teachers, psychologists, and narcologists.
Criminal liability for drug crimes in Kazakhstan begins at age 16.

Detention Figures

The Interior Ministry reported that 69 minors were detained for drug-related offenses since the beginning of the school year. Of those, 40 were held on suspicion of selling drugs, 27 for possession in especially large amounts, and two for advertising and promoting illegal substances. The ministry stated that 52 of the detained minors are boys and 17 are girls.

Parental Warning Signs

Bakhytzhan Amirkhanov, head of the department of the Committee for Countering Drug Crime at the Interior Ministry, advised parents to watch for sudden appearance of money or expensive items, secrecy in phone use and correspondence, and suspicious screenshots. He also said that finding packages, small bags, duct tape, or electronic scales in a teenager's possession should prompt attention. Amirkhanov reminded that criminal liability for drug crimes begins at age 16 and urged parents to participate in legal education of children.

Preventive Measures

Since the start of the new school year, police conducted about 16,000 preventive events in nearly all schools and other educational institutions across the country. More than 5,000 of these events involved teachers, psychologists, and narcologists.