Illegal vodka pipeline discovered in Kyrgyzstan

By Erin Smith

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan have shut off an illegal eight inch-wide tube being used to smuggle illicit alcohol between Kazakhstan for a third of mile under the Chu River into Kyrgyzstan, according to local agency reports.

The pipeline was discovered by Kyrgyz border guards during a routine search and it is assumed that thousands of litres of alcohol were smuggled between the two countries, said officials in Kyrgyzstan.

Kazakhstan is one of the largest grain producers in the region and Kyrgyzstan, which is a predominately Muslim country, has seen a recent growing demand for cheap alcohol.

Police are still searching for the operators of the pipeline.

This was not the first pipeline to be used to smuggle vodka in the area. In 2009 a vodka pippleine was discovered after customs officers in the Estonian capital of Talinn seized 1,159 litres of vodka which was smuggled from Russia.