News

24.07.2009

Extradition of Russian Citizen Valery Nezgazinsky, Charged with Drug Trafficking, from Poland to Russia

Today, upon request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, the competent authorities of Poland have extradited Russian citizen Valery Nezgazinsky to Russia.

The investigative authorities charged V.Nezgazinsky with the commission of 9 crimes defined by Article 30, part 3, Article 228.1, part 3, paras. “a”, “d” (attempted trafficking of narcotic drugs performed by an organized group and on especially large scale) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

It was established that during May 2005 till April 2006, V.Nezgazinsky as a member of an organized criminal group in Irkutsk, participated in trafficking of heroin, in particular, looking for buyers and arranging their pickup to the places of drug trafficking. The officers of the Regional Department of the Federal Drug Control Service of Russia managed to suppress unlawful activities of the criminal group.

In June 2008, the Irkutsk Regional Court sentenced V.Nezgazinsky to 15 years in prison; however, he did not show up for the announcement of the verdict and was put on federal wanted list, and in October 2008 – on international wanted list.

In December 2008, V.Nezgazinsky was detained when trying to enter the Polish border, at the same time the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation sent a request for his extradition.

Due to the well-coordinated co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Poland, in June 2009, the Polish authorities satisfied the extradition request of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, in view of execution of the court’s verdict.

Today, Valery Nezgazinsky has been extradited to Russia under the escort of the Russian Interpol Bureau and the Federal Penitentiary Service officers.

In 2008, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Poland satisfied four Russian requests for extradition, where three of them – against individuals charged with especially grave crimes. In 1Q 2009 extradition of V.Nezgazinsky is the second case (in both cases against individuals who committed grave crimes).