ASTANA -- A Kazakh national wanted in connection with a high-profile smuggling case in Kazakhstan has been detained in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
The Kazakh financial police announced today that Talghat Qaiyrbaev, known also by the nickname Saint Talghat, was detained in Abu Dhabi on May 29 on a request from Interpol.
Qaiyrbaev is one of the main suspects in the smuggling of goods through the Qorghas and Qalzhat checkpoints on the Sino-Kazakh border. Kazakh and U.A.E. officials are currently discussing the possibility of extraditing him to Kazakhstan.
Earlier this month, some 100 people -- including Kazakh customs officers and suspected smugglers -- were arrested on suspicion of shipping goods illegally to and from China.
The Kazakh financial police have arrested several high-ranking customs officials in connection with the case.
Kazakh Customs Committee head Qozy-Korpesh Karibozov stepped down earlier this month in the wake of the arrests.
Read more in Kazakh here
The Kazakh financial police announced today that Talghat Qaiyrbaev, known also by the nickname Saint Talghat, was detained in Abu Dhabi on May 29 on a request from Interpol.
Qaiyrbaev is one of the main suspects in the smuggling of goods through the Qorghas and Qalzhat checkpoints on the Sino-Kazakh border. Kazakh and U.A.E. officials are currently discussing the possibility of extraditing him to Kazakhstan.
Earlier this month, some 100 people -- including Kazakh customs officers and suspected smugglers -- were arrested on suspicion of shipping goods illegally to and from China.
The Kazakh financial police have arrested several high-ranking customs officials in connection with the case.
Kazakh Customs Committee head Qozy-Korpesh Karibozov stepped down earlier this month in the wake of the arrests.
Read more in Kazakh here
