Motuev gained his greatest fame in the mid-2000s, when he was developing Kara-Keche coal field in Naryn region. After the Tulip Revolution, he seized control of the enterprise, declaring that management, linked to former President Askar Akayev’s inner circle, had no right to manage its natural resources. After seizing Kara-Keche, Nurlan Motuev earned the nickname «coal king.» He himself did not object it.

In the spring of 2006, Motuev was detained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The investigation also reported a shortage of approximately 168,000 tons of coal, with damages estimated at over 71 million soms. The state regained control of the coal field.

He was actively involved in politics, for example, running for president of Kyrgyzstan in 2009. He received just under 1 percent of the votes. In recent years, the «coal king» has been active on social media.