Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 24 December, a record shipment of smuggled cigarettes—nearly 750,000 packs, valued at 10.2 billion soums—was destroyed in the Sherabad district of the Surkhandarya region.

The event was organized by the regional customs office with the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, according to the press service of the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan.

The cigarettes, which had expired by the time they were attempted to be smuggled into Uzbekistan, were seized by the customs anti-smuggling department.

In accordance with a court ruling, the individual found guilty of committing the smuggling offense in the Sherabad district was sentenced to 5.5 years of imprisonment. The court also ordered the destruction of the smuggled cigarettes as material evidence.

During the operation, held at a local enterprise, the cigarettes were shredded in a crusher.

Between 2023 and 2024, the Surkhandarya customs office, in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, uncovered 117 cases of smuggling, resulting in the seizure of 3.2 million cigarette packs worth a total of 55.5 billion soums.