Kyiv, Astana dismantle call centre network recruiting drug couriers

Law enforcement agencies in Kazakhstan and Ukraine have disrupted a network of call centres recruiting drug couriers to operate in Kazakhstan.

The operation was carried out jointly by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ukraine’s National Police, under the coordination of the prosecutor general’s offices of both countries, Caliber.Az reports via Kazakh media.

According to authorities, on May 28, the activity of call centres in Kyiv was shut down. They were reportedly controlled by a transnational criminal organisation engaged in the production and distribution of synthetic drugs across Europe and the CIS.

“As a result of the operational measures, 11 people were detained. The roles of each participant in the criminal scheme have been identified, including organisers, senior operators, and office staff directly involved in recruiting potential executors,” Eldar Abdykenov, deputy head of the Anti-Drug Crime Committee of Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry, stated.

Investigators said the call centres were used to search for and recruit individuals to work as drug couriers and packagers in Kazakhstan.

During searches at nine addresses, law enforcement officers seized around $40,000, €10,000, a Range Rover vehicle, as well as mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.

The Interior Ministry said data from the seized devices is now being analysed, the organisers of the scheme are being identified, and a financial investigation is ongoing.

By Jeyhun Aghazada