In Namangan, the illegal trade of tobacco products worth 2.8 billion soums was halted

Illegal trade of tobacco products worth 2.8 billion soums halted in Namangan

In the Namangan region, during the past period of 2026, measures were taken against the illegal circulation of tobacco products imported without excise stamps, valued at over 2.8 billion soums. This was announced during a round table discussion held by the regional customs administration.

According to the data, 46 cases related to the illegal circulation of tobacco products were detected during the reporting period. In these cases, 230,351 packs of tobacco products with a total value of 2 billion 832 million soums were seized as material evidence.

Of the violations, 32 were recorded while crossing the border of Uzbekistan (140,948 packs), and 14 were detected within the internal territory of the region (89,403 packs). Regarding these cases, 12 criminal cases were initiated, 31 administrative cases were sent to courts, and investigations are ongoing for another 3 cases.

In particular, it was noted that the main reason for the persistence of the illegal flow is that products costing around 5,000–8,000 soums in neighboring countries are sold for 13,000–15,000 soums in Uzbekistan.

Major violations were also detected during operational events. For instance, during raids conducted in March, 10.5 thousand packs of undocumented tobacco products were seized from a Lacetti car in the city of Namangan, and 30 thousand packs being transported through bypass roads were intercepted on the border of the Chust district.

Within the framework of the round table, data on the situation regarding the illegal circulation of tobacco products was also presented. According to research by the Tashkent State University of Economics, this figure stands at 16.5 percent in the Fergana Valley, and 28.5 percent in the city of Namangan.

It was noted that illegal tobacco products mainly enter from neighboring Kyrgyzstan through vulnerable areas of the border and are distributed through illegal trade channels in the Fergana Valley, as well as in the Yangikurgan, Chortok, and Uychi districts.

Additionally, the need to strengthen cooperation between government agencies in the fight against smuggling and to develop mechanisms affecting various stages of the illegal trade chain was emphasized.

At the end of the event, the confiscated smuggled tobacco products were destroyed by burning in accordance with the established procedure. The administration continues control measures in cooperation with law enforcement agencies.