Russian authorities extradite convicted drug trafficker to Latvia

MOSCOW. June 19 (Interfax) - Russian law enforcement agencies have extradited Andrejs Maluhins, who is wanted by his country's relevant authorities for drug trafficking, to Latvia.

"Latvian citizen Andrejs Maluhins, who was convicted in his country of citizenship for drug trafficking, has been extradited from Russia. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office granted the request to extradite the wanted man, and he was handed over to the relevant authorities of the Republic of Latvia at the Ludonka-Vientuli checkpoint today," Russian Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk told reporters.

She noted that operational and information support for the manhunt and extradition procedure was provided by the Russian Interior Ministry's Interpol National Central Bureau, in collaboration with the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service.

The Latvian side said that Maluhins was arrested by the police in Riga in January 2015 while trying to traffic an especially large amount of drugs. More than 12 kilograms of marijuana that he intended to sell were seized from him.

The Riga Regional Court sentenced Maluhins to seven years in prison, but he fled from criminal prosecution abroad. In March 2020, he was put on the international wanted list, and arrested in the Leningrad region in January this year.