The key facts

  • In the Uychi district of Namangan Region, an illegal medicine warehouse worth 5.6 billion soums was found in the basement of a non-residential building
  • 67,923 units of medicines of 412 foreign-made names were seized, whose quality has not been confirmed
  • The warehouse was organized by brothers born in 1983 and 1986 — the head and an employee of a private pharmaceutical sales company

A hidden warehouse was found in the basement of a non-residential building

The State Security Service of Uzbekistan reported the discovery in Namangan Region of an underground warehouse where medicines with a total value of about 5.6 billion soums were stored. According to the agency, the operation was carried out by officers of the SSS department for Namangan Region together with the regional customs administration and the internal affairs department.

Who organized the warehouse and what was seized

The warehouse was located in the basement of a non-residential building in the Uychi district. It was set up by two brothers born in 1983 and 1986: one headed a private company selling pharmaceutical products, the other worked there. During the inspection of the premises, 67,923 units of medicines of 412 foreign-made names were found, stored for subsequent sale. According to the SSS, the quality of the medicines has not been confirmed. The total estimated value of the batch was about 5.6 billion soums. All the medicines were seized in accordance with procedural rules.

What happens next

Forensic chemical and commodity examinations have been ordered for the seized medicines, and pre-investigation checks are underway. The outlet Daryo.uz recalls that it was previously reported that more than 1,300 units of potent medicines had been found in Tashkent and Bukhara more than 1,300 units of potent medicines. The editorial team notes: the case is still at the pre-investigation check stage, so the legal qualification of the warehouse organizers' actions and the outcomes of the examinations remain unknown.

Why this matters

The incident concerns the safety of medicine consumers: we are talking about a large batch of foreign-made medicines, whose quality, according to the SSS, has not been confirmed and which were being prepared for sale. The practical consequence was the actual removal of this batch from circulation — the seizure of 67,923 units — and the results of the ordered examinations will determine the further fate of the case and of those involved.