DUSHANBE, August 4, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Agency for Financial State Control and Combating Corruption has reported disclosure of an organized criminal group engaged in smuggling gold wares from Turkey into Tajikistan. 

According to the anticorruption agency, their officers detained three persons – Tajik national Qurbongul Hoitova, Turkish national Aidin Hakam and Uzbek national Dildora Utarova– on July 31 when Ms. Hoitova and Mr. Hakam were pushing gold wares for an amount of 7,000 US dollars to Ms. Utarova. 

The preliminary investigation has established that Turkish national Hakam delivered the gold wares to Tajikistan illegally.  

“When searching the apartment of Hoitova the anticorruption officers found some 4.5 kilograms of gold wares and 427,000 US dollars,” the source said.  

Criminal proceedings have been instituted and an investigation is under way.