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🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan /Economy & Trade

Illegal cigarettes: Kazakhstan proposes closing the border with Kyrgyzstan

From 24.kg · () Russian

Translated from Russian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Kazakhstan is considering temporarily restricting tobacco imports from Kyrgyzstan due to a surge in the illegal cigarette market, estimated at nearly 20%.
  • A journalist proposed the ban until both countries strengthen controls on excisable goods, noting widespread sales of contraband cigarettes in major Kazakh cities.
  • The budget loses approximately 400 tenge per pack sold illegally, with potential smuggling routes identified through Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan is contemplating a temporary halt on tobacco product imports from Kyrgyzstan, driven by a significant increase in the illicit cigarette market, which experts estimate is approaching 20%. The proposal comes from journalist and public figure Kirill Pavlov, who published an investigation into the sale of contraband tobacco across Kazakhstan.

Pavlov suggests the ban should remain until both nations enhance their oversight of excisable goods' movement. He reported that illegal cigarettes are openly sold in Aktobe, Shymkent, Karaganda, and Almaty. In some cities, these products, lacking excise stamps and mandatory markings, are available in large markets, sometimes discreetly sold from under counters.

According to Pavlov's findings, the Kazakh budget loses about 400 tenge for every pack of illegal cigarettes sold, as the state misses out on excise duties and other taxes. He believes a stable wholesale channel facilitates these open sales, with a substantial portion of supplies potentially originating from border areas in the Zhambyl region. Pavlov clarified that he is not asserting cigarettes are produced in Kyrgyzstan but emphasizes the need to scrutinize transit routes and bolster border controls.

This is not the first instance of smuggling issues between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In 2024, over 65,000 packs of undeclared Oris cigarettes were seized at the Karasu checkpoint attempting to enter from Kyrgyzstan, hidden within a shipment of metal angles. Despite past crackdowns, including the detention of alleged contraband organizers by Kyrgyzstan's GKNB in May 2026, illegal cigarettes continue to reach Kazakh markets, reportedly disguised as other cargo and quickly distributed.

Why are landlords like this?

— Kirill PavlovKirill Pavlov's reaction to the widespread sale of illegal cigarettes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by 24.kg in Russian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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