Uzbek nationals caught with 61 kg of gold at Turkish airport

Local media report that a group of five Uzbek citizens, three women and two men, was caught carrying 61.121 kilograms of gold at a Turkish airport.

The group had flown from Uzbekistan to Istanbul before taking a connecting flight to Nevsehir Airport in the Cappadocia region. Authorities discovered the gold hidden inside meat grinders and mixer appliances. The gold bars were confiscated, and in addition to the five suspects, another individual who had come to receive them at the airport was also detained.

According to reports, the regional police’s Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime units had prior information about the five Uzbek citizens expected to arrive in the city under the supervision of the Nevsehir and Gulsehir chief prosecutor’s offices.

Upon inspection of the suspects’ luggage after their flight via Istanbul to Nevsehir, authorities discovered that the gold had been melted and concealed as spare parts inside meat grinders and mixer appliances.

After questioning at the police department, the suspects were sent to the courthouse for further proceedings.

This raises a serious question: could Uzbekistan’s customs authorities really have failed to detect 61 kg of gold being smuggled out of the country?