MOSCOW, February 7 (Itar-Tass) - In 2012 a total of 48 criminals wanted by Interpol were extradited to Russia, a representative of the Central National Bureau of Interpol under the Russian Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
Last year a total of 90 people were detained abroad on Russian warrants, including 48 people accused of crimes in Russia who were detained in foreign countries and extradited to Russia, the source said.
The geography of the countries which extradite criminals on the Russian warrants has broadened. Last year Ghana, Cambodia, Egypt, the Dominican Republic made the extraditions on Russian warrants for the first time, the source said.
Last year Spain extradited the ringleader of the Medvedkovo and Orekhovo criminal gang, Dmitry Belkin, who had been on the wanted list since 1998 for murder of senior coroner Yuri Kerez who investigated one of the first criminal cases opened against the Orekhovo and Medevdkovo criminal gangs. While in hiding in Spain Belkin managed to control his illegal business in Russia.
Cambodia deported the 45- year old Stanislav Molodyakov, who was wanted for crimes on pedophilia charges. It turned out that another criminal, Trofimov, wanted for the same crimes, was already serving his prison term in Cambodia.
The most effective cooperation has been ensured in economic crimes, cases of embezzlement, theft of transport vehicles, money counterfeiting and drugs trafficking, the source said.
There were rather intensive contacts with the U.S. colleagues, but no agreement on extradition of criminals has been signed yet. On rare occasions criminals are deported on warrants delivered by diplomatic channels. In general, the U.S. partners cooperate with their Russian colleagues rather actively, providing all the information authorized by the U.S. law, the source said.
At present 1, 800 criminals searched for on Russian warrants are on the Interpol wanted list, the source said.