Law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan have detained three men in the capital who were selling drugs via a Telegram bot. The criminals accepted payments exclusively in cryptocurrency to maintain anonymity, Kursiv media outlet reported.
The special operation was carried out in Tashkent’s Yunusabad district. At the time of their arrest, the suspects were administering the channel and processing orders. The group’s total turnover amounted to about $2.3 million.
During searches, officers seized:
- laptops and mobile phones;
- SIM cards and bank cards;
- batches of drugs, including 550 doses of potent substances.
The investigation established that the suspects carried out thousands of transactions through foreign crypto wallets, using them to conceal income and launder criminal proceeds.
Criminal cases have been opened against the detainees on charges of illegal drug trafficking and money laundering.
