Latvian national Dzintars Jezdauckis was detained on January 30, 2024, following a warrant over claims he was involved in buying, storing, transporting, and reselling large quantities of narcotics in 2017.
Extradition Battle Over Human Rights Claims
Jezdauckis is accused of being part of an organised group supplying drugs in Latvia. The offence carries a possible sentence of between five and 15 years in prison if he is convicted, according to the court record. Having previously served an eight-year sentence in Latvia for supplying drugs, Jezdauckis opposed his extradition on human rights grounds. He told the courts he would rather die than return to a Latvian jail, claiming he had been beaten and stabbed by other prisoners during his earlier sentence at Daugavgriva prison. To support his claims, he relied on a report from forensic physician Dr Juliet Cohen, which recorded multiple scars and diagnosed him with anxiety and depression.
High Court Ruling and Prison Conditions
A district judge ordered his extradition in June 2024, rejecting arguments that returning him would breach Article 3, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment, and Article 8, which protects private and family life. After Jezdauckis appealed, the High Court asked Latvian authorities for more detail on his detention conditions and measures to tackle violence between prisoners. Authorities stated he would initially be held in the remand section of Riga Central Prison, while pointing to new capacity, including single-cell accommodation at a modern facility in Liepāja, increased supervision, and the ability to move at-risk prisoners. In a ruling handed down this month, Mr Justice Kimblin found no real risk that this particular prisoner would suffer degrading treatment if extradited, upholding the original decision to send him back. The judge also refused permission to renew the Article 8 challenge, ruling that the weighty public interest in returning those accused of serious offending to face trial meant the balance came down firmly in favour of extradition.
Next Legal Steps and Potential Outcomes
Following the High Court ruling, the extradition process could proceed toward his return to Latvia to face trial for the 2017 narcotics offences. Legal representatives may assess whether any further avenues of appeal remain available under UK law, though the refusal of the Article 8 challenge narrows potential grounds for delay. Upon his return to Latvia, authorities are likely to place him in the remand section of Riga Central Prison in accordance with their submissions to the court.
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