U.S. Offers Reward For Information On Reputed Kyrgyz Crime Boss

Kamchybek Kolbaev appears in court in Bishkek last month.

The U.S. State Department has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of a network reputedly run by a Kyrgyz crime boss.

In a statement on May 29, the U.S. State Department said a criminal network run by Kamchybek Kolbaev is involved in drug, arms, and human trafficking, as well as extortion and other crimes.

Kolbaev, 39, is expected to be released from Kyrgyz custody next month.

He was extradited to Kyrgyzstan from the United Arab Emirates in December.

He was later sentenced to 5 1/2 years in jail for extortion, but his prison term was later cut to three years without explanation.

Kyrgyz officials said on May 19 that, according to Kyrgyz law, each day spent by an inmate in a detention center is equal to two days in a penal colony, meaning Kolbaev will be released in June.