Officers from the main departments of ecology and climate change in the Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions conducted a targeted raid, intercepting and inspecting a Niva Legend vehicle, according to the press service of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change. The operation highlights ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal wildlife trafficking and unauthorized hunting across the country.

Upon inspecting the vehicle's trunk, authorities discovered the dismembered remains of one bear and three wild boars packed inside eight separate sacks. Additionally, the search revealed a substantial cache of weaponry, including three rifled hunting rifles, an MS-2112 smoothbore shotgun, and a loaded Monza rifled weapon with four 7.62 mm cartridges in the magazine.

Officials also seized 43 live 7.62 mm combat cartridges, 56 small-shot cartridges, 13 bullet cartridges, two binoculars, two sound suppressors, knives, flashlights, an axe, and various other items. Investigators established that the suspects had illegally hunted a protected Tian Shan brown bear—a species officially listed in the Red Book—alongside three wild boars in the Sariosiyo district of the Surkhandarya region.

The illegal activity caused substantial material damage to the local ecosystem, estimated at 679.8 million soms. Following the inspection, all confiscated firearms, ammunition, permits, and hunting licenses were transferred to the regional internal affairs department for temporary storage, while the vehicle was impounded at a designated impound lot.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the suspects under Part 3 of Article 202 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which addresses violations of the procedures for utilizing flora and fauna. An active investigation is currently underway to determine the full scope of the violation.

Source: uznews.uz