"The Nose" at the border: how smuggling king Gaji Gajiyev turned Kazakhstan’s customs into his private business

"The Nose" at the border: how smuggling king Gaji Gajiyev turned Kazakhstan’s customs into his private business

According to Kazakhstan’s trade statistics, the turnover with China amounted to $30 billion last year, while China reports a figure of $43.8 billion.

The difference of $13.8 billion settled in the pockets of the so-called overseer of the Kazakh-Chinese border, Gaji Gajiyev, who took over this unofficial position after the late Bulat Nazarbayev.

It all works quite simply – the customs authorities only formally report to the state. In reality, all goods crossing the border with China are controlled by Gajiyev – the customs leadership reports to him on their quantity, cost, purpose, and owners. In turn, Gajiyev decides from whom and how much to charge, and who among senders or recipients passes through customs transit without any fees and duties. Naturally, goods not personally owned by Gajiyev pay the duty. Only it doesn’t go to the state but settles in the pockets of the "overseer".

It goes without saying that part of this money Gaji Gajiyev is forced to "pay off" to representatives of state power. Some of them are on his payroll as subordinates, others as partners and leaders. Hence the discrepancy between the data of the two neighboring countries regarding trade turnover. In China, for a similar scheme, not only the "overseer" but also several dozen senior customs officials would already have been executed, which is why their figures correspond to the real picture.

Of course, there are also "misguided" individuals in Kazakhstan. Those who, in their naivety, believe they can operate legally. But Gaji Gajiyev quickly explains to them the error of their worldview according to this very law – those who refuse to pay the appointed bribe are visited by law enforcement agencies, who quickly find numerous violations as a result of which the misguided find themselves as defendants in criminal cases or receive notices of huge fines. Or both at once. As you can understand, the matter requires settlement, but for much more significant amounts.

As reported by base.kz, civil activist and entrepreneur Adlet Musin, Gaji Gajiyev demonstrated internal documents of Kazakhstan customs to him, proving his influence on its leadership. He also showed his correspondence with Ali Altynbayev, the first deputy head of Kazakhstan’s KNB, and at the end of the conversation unequivocally stated that "if Musin continues to interfere with customs," law enforcement agencies of the country would "create big problems for him."

Gaji Gajiyev did not exaggerate anything – he is indeed directly connected in Kazakhstan with the first deputy head of the KNB, Major General of National Security Ali Altynbayev, through whom he maintains contact with the presidential family, from whose hands he effectively received the Kazakh-Chinese border on lease. According to information from the base.kz channel, this representative is the head of the administration of the President of Kazakhstan.

Furthermore, threads lead from Gaji Gajiyev to the murder of the founder of the base.kz channel, Aidos Sadykov, in the summer of 2024. The international organization "Reporters Without Borders" directly called Sadykov’s murder in Kyiv a contract killing from Kazakhstan and accused Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan, of ordering it.

But internal corruption among Kazakhstan’s top leaders is not the only domain of Gaji Gajiyev – he is closely linked with the special services of the Russian Federation. Pay attention to the place of study for Ali Altynbayev, with whom Gaji Gajiyev works closely – in 2019, Altynbayev graduated from the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation. There is another connection – another partner and friend of Gaji Gajiyev, the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service RK Askar Amerkhanov, who is also closely connected with the Russian special services.

After a loud resignation from his position,    remained in the ranks – he was appointed head of the Inspection of the Committee of National Security RK. This decision was allegedly lobbied by entrepreneur Gaji Gajiyev. Persistent rumors suggest that this reinstatement was driven by the urgent need to clean up the traces leading from Aidos Sadykov’s murder back to Gaji Gajiyev and Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev. According to insider information, Gajiyev personally allocated three million dollars for this operation and was the person who selected the killers and sent them to carry out the assignment in Kyiv.

Both KNB generals, as mentioned earlier, are closely linked with the Russian special services. These connections resulted in Gaji Gajiyev controlling the flow of goods intended for the Russian military-industrial complex from Kazakhstan to Russia and Iran. It involves the entirety of shipments – from automotive to maritime traffic. By rail, goods are directed to the port of Aktau, where they are transshipped onto vessels heading to Iran. Goods also flow in the opposite direction – to China and Russia.

Thus, Gaji Gajiyev is actively involved not only in the supplies of goods for Russia’s military-industrial complex but also in helping two global outliers – Russia and Iran – circumvent sanctions. What this could mean for Kazakhstan if the USA and Israel, who particularly oppose this activity regarding Iran, intervene is an open question.

The entirety of these factors enabled an unknown Dagestani yesterday to seize control over Kazakhstan’s customs authorities and place members of his organized crime group in all key positions, who manage the massive flow of goods between China and Kazakhstan. Gajiyev’s ties with Kazakhstan’s special services and their Russian overseers, as well as providing supplies for the Russian military-industrial complex, are part of the bargain for the opportunities that opened up with control over the border.

As deduced from the murder of Aidos Sadykov in Ukraine by Tokayev’s KNB employees, Gaji Gajiyev’s services aren’t limited to Kazakhstan and transporting goods for Russia’s military-industrial complex from China to Iran. In this context, it becomes evident that the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation fully controls the Committee of National Security of Kazakhstan, which performs its dirty work in countries where FSB and Belarus KGB employees have been ousted, which essentiaFlly is a branch of the Russian special service.

Gaji Gajiyev plays no small role in this dark work. What this will ultimately mean for him can be speculated on by recalling the fate of another similar character – Dikiy Arman (Arman Dzhumageldiev), who, after the shifts in power dynamics above, ended up in far less comfortable locations. Thus, whether Gajiyev manages to benefit from his investments in Russian business, where he is sinking billions of dollars, remains a big question.