Four detained in Navoi for illegal crypto trading

Law enforcement authorities in Navoi region have uncovered illegal cryptocurrency operations amounting to UZS 104 billion (approximately $8.62 million at the official exchange rate), the Cybersecurity Center under the Operational-Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

As part of the “Safe Cyberspace” and “Relevant 20 Days” campaigns, officers from the Operational-Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Cybersecurity Center, the State Security Service, and the National Agency for Advanced Projects jointly identified a group engaged in generating income from illegal cryptocurrency transactions. Four citizens born in 1990, 1993, 1998, and 1999 were detained.

According to the Cybersecurity Center, the suspects linked other people’s bank cards to the One Payments and P2P Trade applications, through which they exchanged cryptocurrency worth UZS 104 billion and earned “significant profits.”

During the investigation, officers seized 68 bank cards, 12 mobile devices, 8 SIM cards, and 2 computers. A preliminary inquiry is currently underway.

In September, a similar group involved in illegal cryptocurrency trading was detained in Tashkent. Investigators said the group had conducted transactions worth more than UZS 180 billion over eight months.