Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security said on August 9 that Erkin Mambetaliev, a former bodyguard of ex-President Almazbek Atambaev was detained a day earlier on suspicion of being an active member of a criminal group led by Rysbek Akmatbaev and late kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev. Kolbaev, who was killed during a police operation in Bishkek in October, was a leader of the so-called Brothers' Circle, a Eurasian drug-trafficking network. In 2014, the U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the disruption of Kolbaev’s financial mechanisms. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Former Bodyguard Of Ex-President Detained In Kyrgyzstan
Erkin Mambetaliev was detained on August 8 for alleged links with late criminal kingpin Kamchy Kolbaev. (file photo)