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Armenian citizens may be among members of "Armenian power" gang - media

Armenia Materials 22 February 2011 02:29 (UTC +04:00)
The Armenian Foreign Ministry did not comment on the information received by the Azatutun (Freedom) radio station about the fact that there are Armenian citizens among the members of the "Armenian power" gang arrested in the United States.
Armenian citizens may be among members of "Armenian power" gang - media

The Armenian Foreign Ministry did not comment on the information received by the Azatutun (Freedom) radio station about the fact that there are Armenian citizens among the members of the "Armenian power" gang arrested in the United States.

According to some reports, more than a dozen members of the gang were born in Armenia. However, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry said they did not want to comment on this information, Armenia Today reported.

On February 16 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the detention of about 100 members of the "Armenian power" gang, who are accused of committing dozens of crimes including bank fraud, money laundering, kidnapping, racketeering, drug trafficking, arms trafficking and other crimes in the United States.

According to rough estimates of law enforcement officials, U.S. citizens have suffered damage worth more than $ 20 million, hundreds of people were abused and threatened.

The Prosecutor General Office of Armenia and the police said that the U.S. have not yet addressed due to any issue regarding Armenian nationalities of the gang.

The Prosecutor General Office's head of Public Relations department Shagen Tonoyan also added that even if the members of criminal groups were Armenian citizens, they should be prosecuted in the United States.

"They should be prosecuted under the laws of the country in which the crimes were committed, regardless their citizenships" - said Tonoyan, adding that Armenia has no legal agreements for extradition with the United States.

According to the FBI, the "Armenian Power" gang had close ties with the Mexican mafia, as well as criminal groups in Eastern Europe. The FBI also stated that part of the income received by criminal gang was being sent to Armenia.

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