The decision on sentencing Elena Timchenko, a 24 years old citizen of Russia, to a death penalty, was surprising. According to the Chinese law, for transportation of more than 50 grams of heroin the criminals are being sentenced to death or to life imprisonment. Timchenko was transporting almost a kilo and a half. According to her testimony, the drugs belonged to an Azerbaijani grouping with which she was cooperating. Before accepting the proposal of the Azerbaijani mafia, Elena was prostituting in one of the “Russian” quarters of Peking, where other hundred girls from Russia were doing the same business. At that time she was already using drugs. According to the article, “Timchenko got used to drugs with the help of her visitors from Azerbaijan, who suggested her to become a transporter of drugs”. The same article notes that the Azerbaijanis are living in China legally and almost everyone has a legal business, mainly wholesale deliveries of consumer goods to Russia.
The main “dislocation” place of Elena was the “Hollywood” night club famous for its “drug traditions”. According to “Echo”, mainly heroin is being sold there and the main sellers are citizens of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan. The newspaper says that “about 80% of Russian prostitutes of Peking use heroin and the representatives of Azerbaijani Diaspora make use of this fact – they suggest the Russian girls 1000 dollars for going to Kunmin and bringing drugs from there”. Of course, prostitution is less dangerous, but for getting 1000 dollars one needs to serve at least 50 clients. Elena preferred to go to Kunmin.
She would have continued this business, but was arrested in the airport of Kunmin in September 2000. In the court she was the only one to be accused. Those who have sent her to this business are not arrested up to now. It is known that the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Peking has not received any documents about participation of the Azerbaijani citizens in this crime. Adviser to the Ambassador Zakir Gashumov said that the Consular service of the Embassy does not have to follow the process, as the Azerbaijanis engaged in mafia structures of China are not citizens of Azerbaijan”.
The story of Elena Timchenko is not the first case when the Chinese law-enforcement bodies are facing criminal problems coming from Azerbaijan. In April last year the police arrested 30 Azerbaijanis engaged in kidnapping. It is evident that not only Russia but also other countries are noticing that the Azerbaijani Diaspora presents a criminal danger. It’s not difficult to imagine the real sizes of the criminal business of Azerbaijanis, if taking into account that in such a big country as China they have managed to attract attention and to be considered one of the main sources of drug.
