Kyrgyzstan has issued an arrest warrant for imprisoned Uzbek criminal boss Salim Abduvaliev, Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security said on August 6. The 73-year-old Abduvaliev, who was sentenced to six years in prison in Tashkent in March on charges of illegal possession and transportation of arms and explosives, is wanted in Kyrgyzstan for allegedly financing the organized criminal group of late Kyrgyz kingpin Kamchybek Kolbaev. Abduvaliev is believed to have ties with top Uzbek officials and leaders of the so-called Brothers' Circle, a Eurasian drug-trafficking network that included Kolbaev, who was killed during a police operation in Kyrgyzstan in October. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, click here.
Kyrgyz Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Imprisoned Uzbek Criminal Kingpin
Uzbek criminal kingpin Salim Abduvaliev (file photo)