Spanish court accuses Duma Deputy and Russian Drug Control Services Head of links to Mafia, issues warrants

A court in Spain has issued arrest warrants for several Russians, among which include State Duma Deputy Vladislav Reznik, who is a member of the ruling United Russia party, and a General at the Federal Drug Control Service, Nikolai Aulov.

The Russians are accused of having links to Russian and Spanish crime syndicates.

The court is investigating the activities of the Tambov and Malyshevsky mafias in Spain. Judge Jose de la Mata says all those charged “are suspected of extremely grievous acts.”

Spanish news agencies accuse the two high profile Russians, Deputy Reznik and General Aulov, of having close ties to President Vladimir Putin. In particular, Nikolai Aulov is accused of using trusted state agents to intimidate or threaten those who might harm the interests of mafia groups.

General Aulov says Spain's accusations are politically motivated to discredit Russian officials.

A January 2016 UK government report into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB/FSB agent exiled in Britain, concluded one possible explanation is that Litvinenko was assassinated for assisting the Spanish government in its investigation of the Russian mafia in Spain and he was about to expose high-level Kremlin officials in criminal activities there.

This is not the first time Spain has issued an international warrant for the arrest of State Duma Deputy Vladislav Reznik. In March 2016, Spain's Interpol office issued an international search and arrest warrant for Vladislav Reznik and his wife, Diana Gindin.