Gafur Rakhimov (Uzbek: G'ofur-Arslanbek Ahmetovich Rahimov) (born July 22, 1951) is an Uzbek businessman and sports administrator who was the president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA)[1] for 20 months until his resignation in July 2019.
After Uzbekistan's independence in 1991, he set up several commercial enterprises, which included trading in both raw materials and finished consumer goods.
[4][5] On 25 May 1998, Yuri Shchekochikhin accused Rakhimov along with KGB Major General Evgeny G. Khokholkov, who headed URPO in the FSB, and Salim Abduvaliev of very unusual activities.
[6][7][8] According to Alexander Litvinenko, both Rakhimov and Salim Abduvaliev are closely associated with a Vladimir Putin organized narcotics trafficking network that is close to the Izmaylovskaya mafia (OPG) the Tambov Russian mafia (OPG), Evgeny Khokholkov (Russian: Евгений Хохольков), an Uzbek KGB who was head of FSB, Vyacheslav Ivankov (Russian: Вячеслав Иваньков) Yaponchik, who governed Uzbek networks in America, and Alimzhan Tokhtakhunov (Russian: Алимжан Тохтахунов) Taiwanchik, who governed Uzbek networks in Europe, with heroin from Central Asia including Afghanistan and cocaine from Colombia through the St. Petersburg's Sea Port (Russian: Морской порт Санкт-Петербург) to Europe.
[14] On 23 February 2012, the US Department of the Treasury put financial sanctions on Rakhimov and several other individuals, accused of being part of the so-called Brothers' Circle criminal organization.