TASHKENT, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's National Guard revealed Wednesday some details of a raid carried out last month to combat illegal gold mining.
During the joint operation with local police, 39 illegal gold miners were detained and over six tons of gold containing rocks, 10 vehicles and other mining equipment were confiscated in Pakhtachi district of Samarkand region, the National Guard said.
Pakhtachi district, adjacent to Navoi region, is home to an open pit mine that belongs to Uzbekistan's largest gold producer Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Combine.
Last year Uzbek state media said that illegal gold mining in the Central Asian country involved some 10,000 people in a season and produced around one ton of gold per year.
To fight illegal mining, the Uzbek government allowed private gold mining last year and started issuing licenses, prompting dozens of individual entrepreneurs to hunt for gold legally. Enditem
