A Kazakh citizen suspected of creating and leading an organized criminal group that produced and sold drugs has been extradited from Russia to Kazakhstan, the republic's Prosecutor General's Office said, according to infohub.kz.
According to the supervisory authority, the man was handed over to the Kazakh side to face criminal charges for organizing a criminal community engaged in the illegal production and distribution of psychotropic substances.
"The suspect created and led an organized criminal group that produced and sold mephedrone in Almaty and other regions of Kazakhstan. Since 2021, he recruited people in need of money into criminal activity. Members performed various functions in the manufacture, transport, packaging and distribution of psychotropic substances, and their actions were coordinated remotely via the Telegram messenger," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
According to the agency, in 2024 several drug laboratories were set up in Almaty on the organizer's instructions. In one of them, two members suffered severe chemical poisoning and died during the production of psychotropic substances.
"Despite this, the criminal activity continued with the involvement of new operatives," prosecutors stressed.
On September 19, 2024, police shut down one of the laboratories. During searches, more than 24 kg of chemicals, equipment, protective gear and finished products were seized.
In July 2025, the suspect was detained in Russia and extradited to Kazakhstan at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility.
The crimes he is charged with carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison with confiscation of property.