Iurie Radulov, known in the criminal underworld as “Babior” and sentenced to life imprisonment, has been extradited from Turkey and brought back to the Republic of Moldova. He was taken into custody at Chisinau International Airport on Friday evening and transferred to Penitentiary No. 13 to continue serving his sentence, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the extradition request was submitted to the Turkish authorities on May 8, 2025, immediately after Radulov’s presence on Turkish territory was confirmed. In early October, he was detained, and the Moldovan authorities subsequently reaffirmed their extradition request.

The authorities stated that Radulov’s return to prison is based on a decision issued by the Northern Court of Appeal on April 10, 2025, which overturned an earlier release order following an appeal filed by the National Administration of Penitentiaries.

Radulov was released on parole in March 2025 following amendments to the Amnesty Law and left the Republic of Moldova a few days later. After the release decision was overturned, he was placed on Interpol’s international wanted list.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Radulov was considered the leader of a criminal group involved in murders and attempted murders. His release, along with that of other convicted individuals, sparked public criticism. Subsequently, the Constitutional Court declared the amendments unconstitutional, and Parliament revised the law, eliminating the possibility of combining a sentence reduction with early conditional release.