Police anti-drug unit officers detained in Bishkek over extortion case

The State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS) has disrupted the activities of officials from the Interior Ministry’s anti-drug unit, the agency’s press service reported.

According to the statement, on April 17, the head of a department and an operations officer of the Service for Combating Illegal Drug Trafficking under the Ministry of Internal Affairs were detained on suspicion of extorting a large sum of money and subsequently laundering it.

They are suspected of extortion of 9 million rubles (approximately $100,000) from a Russian citizen in exchange for assistance in securing a lighter sentence in a criminal case related to drug trafficking.

The suspects used a remote scheme to conceal the proceeds. The money was transferred in parts through bank cards registered to third parties, with additional individuals involved in cashing out and laundering the funds within Kyrgyzstan.

The detainees have been placed in a temporary detention facility of the SCNS. Investigative and operational measures are ongoing, and possible accomplices are being identified.