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Azerbaijan extradited two int'l wanted persons from Georgia

23 January 2026 11:06 (UTC +04:00)

Two more individuals who were on an international wanted list have been extradited to Azerbaijan, APA reports, citing the Press Service of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

In accordance with the requirements of the Convention of January 22, 1993, “On Legal Assistance and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Matters,” the requests of the Prosecutor General’s Office for the extradition of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ismayilzada Abulfat Hasan oglu and Azizov Amal Sarvan oglu, were granted by the Ministry of Justice of Georgia.

Since reasonable suspicions were established that these individuals committed criminal acts stipulated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, decisions were adopted to charge them as accused persons, and as they evaded the investigation and went into hiding, they were placed on an international wanted list.

The said individuals were detained on the territory of Georgia and brought to Azerbaijan under the escort of a special convoy of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice.

It should be noted that the individuals mentioned have been put on the wanted list in connection with a criminal case related to cigarette smuggling.

Recall that as a result of investigative measures conducted within a criminal case concerning the illegal activities of employees of the Baku Hovsan International Trade Sea Port Customs Post of the General Customs Department for Maritime Transport and Energy Resources of the State Customs Committee, employees of the “Baku Hovsan International Trade Sea Port” Open Joint-Stock Company, and other members of an organized criminal group, well-founded suspicions have been established that Ruslan Eyyubov, the de facto head of “Baku Hovsan International Trade Sea Port” OJSC; Rashad Dashdamirov, the company’s general director; Zaur Hashimov, head of the Port Service; Farrukh Hagverdiyev, the port’s foreman; Farid Usubov, head of the Baku Hovsan International Trade Sea Port Customs Post; customs inspectors Heydar Eyvazli, Tamerlan Akhundzade, and Tahir Tahiri; Anvar Taghiyev, senior operational officer of the Operations Department of the Operational-Investigative Directorate of the said General Customs Department; as well as Elchin Rustamov, Fariz Maharramov, Firuz Aliyev, Amil Jabrayilov, Alasgar Ismayilov, and Rovshan Tarverdiyev, who were involved in the transportation and storage of tobacco products, along with other persons whose identities are being established by the investigation, entered into a criminal conspiracy as an organized group and smuggled tobacco products worth more than 5.4 million manats from the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran into the territory of Azerbaijan by ship through the said port without excise stamps, despite the requirement for such goods to be excise-marked.

Based on the collected preliminary evidence, the aforementioned individuals have been charged under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

- Article 206.4 (smuggling committed in large quantities by an organized group);

- Articles 213-1.2.1, 213-1.2.2, and 213-1.2.3 (repeated storage for the purpose of sale of goods subject to excise marking in large quantities without such markings, committed by a group of persons acting in prior collusion);

- Article 308.2 (abuse of official powers resulting in grave consequences).

By a court decision issued upon the motion of the preliminary investigation body and the submission of the prosecutor exercising procedural supervision, Ruslan Eyyubov, Rashad Dashdamirov, Farid Usubov, Heydar Eyvazli, Tamerlan Akhundzade, Zaur Hashimov, Farrukh Hagverdiyev, and Fariz Maharramov were placed under arrest. A preventive measure not involving detention was imposed on Firuz Aliyev, while arrest in absentia was ordered for other individuals who fled the country to evade the investigation, and they were placed on international wanted lists.

In addition, within another criminal case currently under preliminary investigation at the Chief Anti-Corruption Directorate under the Prosecutor General, the illegal activities of “RR Caspi” LLC, “Semaye Co” LLC, “Semaye Logistic” LLC, and other limited liability companies, as well as officials of the State Border Service, who participated in smuggling and other crimes, were uncovered.

The investigation established well-founded suspicions that Ramin Akhundov, founder and de facto head of “RR Caspi” LLC; Elshan Ahmadov, the vessel’s captain; Elchin Asgarov, ship mechanic; Amid Sayilov, sailor; Samir Gahramanbayli, acting manager of the company; Vusal Sadigov, head of the 14th Coastal Control Unit of the 3rd Coastal Control Department of the Coast Guard of the State Border Service; Valeh Samadov, inspector of the same unit; as well as Elgun Nazarov, Emin Nazarov, Heydari Mohammad Reza Ali oglu, Amal Azizov, Abulfat Ismayilzada, Shahin Heydarov, Vugar Ismayilov, and other unidentified persons, acting as a group in prior collusion, organized the smuggling of tobacco products worth more than 1 million manats, subject to excise marking, without such markings, by transporting them by ship into Azerbaijan through an illegally constructed and unregistered mooring pier on the Caspian Sea coast in the Alat settlement of the Garadagh district of Baku.

The aforementioned individuals have been charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan:

- Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of persons acting in prior collusion and by an official abusing their official position);

- Articles 213-1.2.1 and 213-1.2.3 (storage for the purpose of sale of excisable goods in large quantities without excise markings by a group acting in prior collusion);

- Articles 341.2.1 and 341.2.3 (abuse of official powers committed by a group and resulting in severe consequences).

By court decision, Elshan Ahmadov, Elchin Asgarov, Amid Sayilov, Samir Gahramanbayli, Vusal Sadigov, Emin Nazarov, Heydari Mohammad Reza Ali oglu, Shahid Heydarov, and Vugar Ismayilov were placed under arrest. Valeh Samadov was placed under house arrest, while other suspects who fled the country were placed on international wanted lists with arrest ordered in absentia.