Czech Govt wants drug smuggler Karel Sroubek deported from NZ

The Czech Republic wants to have convicted drug smuggler Karel Sroubek extradited from New Zealand.

It comes after the New Zealand Government controversially cancelled Sroubek's deportation order - for reasons it has not yet revealed.

In a statement on the Czech website Watchdog, the Czech Republic Justice Ministry said an arrest warrant was issued for Sroubek in 2013 for outstanding criminal proceedings.

New Zealand authorities had advised the Czech Republic that extradition proceedings would take several years, so Czech authorities had instead decided to wait for his deportation.

Now that Sroubek's deportation has been cancelled, the Czech Republic is renewing its bid to have him extradited.

According to Interpol, Sroubek is wanted by the Czech authorities on charges of attacking a police officer, disorderly conduct and damaging property.

Photo / Supplied

The 37 year-old entered New Zealand in 2003 on a false passport in the name of Jan Antolik. He later claimed the new identity was because he witnessed a murder in his homeland.

In a trial in 2012, he told a jury he had fled his home in the Czech Republic in fear of corrupt police officers and a criminal after witnessing a murder.

The jury found him guilty of having a false passport and lying to immigration officials, but he was discharged without conviction because the judge believed his evidence.

In 2016, he was found guilty of smuggling 5kg of MDMA from the Czech Republic into New Zealand, and is serving a sentence of five years and nine months in prison. He is still serving that sentence.

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway this week came under fire for cancelling a deportation notice for Sroubek - though he is now reviewing that decision.

It has since been revealed that Sroubek travelled back to the Czech Republic twice in 2009, despite expressing fears for his safety if he returned. Lees-Galloway said he was unaware of the court documents which mentioned these trips.