The Jomboy District Criminal Court in Samarkand region found 38-year-old M.B. and 37-year-old A.K. guilty of helping people illegally cross Uzbekistan’s state border.
M.B. travelled to Moscow for work in 2020 and worked as a taxi driver. In March 2021, he was arrested after 109 grams of heroin were found in his car. The Kashira District Court in Moscow Oblast subsequently sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
While serving his sentence, M.B. was offered early release in exchange for joining the Russian military and taking part in the war in Ukraine. He agreed, signed a contract in September 2024 and was sent to the front.
He was later injured in a mine explosion and taken to a military hospital in Donetsk. In December 2024, he left the hospital and attempted to return to Uzbekistan.
According to the case materials, M.B. initially hid at an acquaintance’s home before contacting a person who arranged for him to be smuggled from Russia to the Kazakh city of Saryagash for $1,800. He then crossed into Uzbekistan without documents, crawling beneath border fencing, and arrived in Jizzakh region.
A.K. was waiting for him there, the case materials say. The two men subsequently became involved in a scheme to help other people cross the state border illegally in exchange for payment, splitting the proceeds between themselves.
The documents also refer to several unidentified alleged accomplices known by the nicknames “Ded”, “Maqsad”, “Sunnat” and “Medved”.
In February, M.B. and A.K. allegedly agreed to arrange the illegal crossing of an Uzbek citizen, identified as B.Kh., into Kazakhstan for $2,000. The two were to meet the client in Samarkand and collect the money for organizing the crossing.
However, the citizen reported the plan to the regional department of the State Security Service. Operatives detained M.B. at the scene with physical evidence, according to the case materials.
A.K. was arrested later following another attempt to arrange an illegal border crossing for $2,000.
Both defendants admitted their guilt in court and expressed remorse. The judge considered their confessions and repentance as mitigating circumstances.
At the same time, the court found that M.B. had committed the offence for mercenary motives, while A.K.’s actions had been committed deliberately, treating these as aggravating circumstances.
M.B. was convicted under Article 154, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which concerns mercenary activity, and sentenced to five years in prison. He was also convicted of attempted fraud under Article 168, Part 2, Clause “b”, in conjunction with Article 25, and sentenced to one year and six months of correctional labor, with 20% of his earnings to be withheld for the state.
He was further convicted of attempting to illegally leave or enter Uzbekistan as part of a group acting by prior agreement, as well as repeatedly or by a dangerous recidivist, under Article 223, Part 2, Clauses “b” and “v”, in conjunction with Article 25.
After partially combining the sentences, the court imposed a final prison term of five years and six months. M.B. will serve his sentence in a general-regime penal colony.
A.K. was convicted of attempted fraud and of organizing illegal border crossings under the relevant provisions of Articles 168, 223 and 25 of the Criminal Code. He was also sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
The verdict can be appealed in accordance with the procedures established by law.
