World: Europe
Russian criminals active in 26 countries
A government official in Moscow has said that Russian organized crime is active in at least twenty-six countries and has penetrated the Russian government bothlocally and centrally.
The official, Colonel Vladimir Selivanov, who's head of the Organised Crime Department in the Interior Ministry said Russian gangs were most active in other ex-Soviet countries, the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey and the Netherlands and were chiefly involved in money-laundering, banking fraud, drugs trafficking, car theft and alcohol smuggling.
Correspondents say Colonel Selivanov's statement comes as experts both in Russia and abroad have warned that criminals could attempt to divert money from the new multi-million dollar loans to Russia.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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