Estonian court rules to release criminal group leader Amid Magerramov on parole

The Harju County Court in Estonia ruled on 16 October to release Amid Magerramov on parole. He had been sentenced to ten years in prison for a drug offence and for leading a criminal organisation. For the first six months after release he must remain under electronic monitoring. The decision can be appealed to the Tallinn Circuit Court within 15 days.

Conditions

Magerramov's probation period will run until 4 September 2028. During that time he will be supervised by the probation service and must comply with restrictions set by the court. He is banned from using alcohol and narcotic substances. Within two weeks of release he must find a job or register with the Unemployment Insurance Fund. He must also complete a social programme. Without prior permission from a probation officer he may not change his residence, workplace or place of study, nor leave Estonia.

The court's reasoning

According to the ruling, both the prison and the prosecutor's office supported his early release. The prosecutor noted that Magerramov had spent more than eight years in custody, took part in resocialisation programmes and, in the prison's assessment, showed positive change. In prison he led an English-language club and passed the Estonian language exam at B1 level. He has no active disciplinary penalties.

The court took into account that he has a permanent residence in Tallinn, an opportunity to work and support from relatives. In its view, parole with electronic monitoring will make it possible to control his behaviour outside prison and give him a chance to show he can lead a law-abiding life.

The ruling also notes that Magerramov had previously been convicted three times, and that his crimes included large-scale drug trafficking and leading a criminal organisation. The prison initially assessed him as an extremely dangerous person but later lowered that assessment somewhat.

Background

Magerramov was detained in Tallinn on 4 September 2018 at the request of US authorities. He was extradited to the United States in 2019, where in November 2021 he was sentenced to ten years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and carfentanil. He later returned to Estonia to serve the sentence.

In October 2023, the Harju County Court found him guilty of leading an Azerbaijani criminal organisation and imposed a sentence of six years and six months. That term was counted within the longer ten-year sentence handed down in the US. In previous years, Estonian courts had refused to grant him parole.