On April 25, during inspections conducted in the international arrivals hall of Istanbul's airport in Turkey, 3 women arriving from Shymkent city of Kazakhstan were detained.
They are said to be Uzbek nationals A.B., D.A., and F.K. The suspects' luggage was inspected, but nothing was found. However, X-ray scans revealed the presence of solid objects in the women's waist area, as identified.
Due to serious suspicions, the suspects were taken to the hospital for X-ray examinations under the instruction of the prosecution. The X-ray rays also indicated the presence of some objects in the women's genital areas.
The suspects were searched in a special area under the supervision of female police officers, and gold was removed from their genital areas.
It is emphasized that a total of 120 various weight gold coins, weighing a total of 6 kilograms and 28 grams, were retrieved from the women's genital areas.
The gold was handed over to the Crime Prevention and Investigation Bureau teams. The investigation regarding the incident is ongoing.
In Turkey, gold smuggling is strictly punished by law. Even minor violations can lead to serious consequences, including fines or imprisonment. The country allows the tax-free and duty-free import of jewelry made of precious metals and stones valued up to 15,000 US dollars, provided they are not for commercial purposes but for personal use.
