Almost 1 ton of gold metals are illegally prospected in Uzbekistan yearly 

Nowadays, illegal mining of precious metals has taken systemic nature in Navoi, Samarkand and Bukhara regions. Smuggling activities and their illegal transportation abroad have been encountered quite often, the Information-Analytical Multimedia Center “Khalk suzi online” said. 
 
For example, in 2015-2018, 214 criminal cases have been initiated against 547 people for illegal mining of gold and other mineral resources. 
 
“About 1 ton of gold metals are extracted annually because of illegal mining. In this season, ten thousand people are engaged in such illicit activities. This is causing a serious damage to the economy of the country,” head of the State Geology and Mineral Resources Department Khayitboy Omonov noted.