Abstract
<jats:p>The article is devoted to the analysis of the principles of extradition of persons suspected of committing crimes of an international nature in the sphere of illicit drug trafficking. The author pays special attention to the principle of aut dedere aut judicare, reflected in the main UN anti-drug conventions. The article highlights the following options for its implementation: the priority of extradition with an alternative obligation to investigate and mandatory criminal prosecution in case of refusal to extradite, depending on jurisdictional criteria. The accompanying principles of extradition are also considered: the principle of double criminality, extradition of a crime and specialization. Using judicial practice as an example, the author demonstrates that compliance with the above principles ensures a balance between international cooperation and the protection of state sovereignty. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of legal regulation of extradition in the context of international anti-drug conventions. Conclusions are made that the principle of aut dedere aut judicare in the field of drug crimes combines mandatory and discretionary mechanisms depending on the connection of the crime with the territory or citizenship of the requested state; the flexibility of the principle of “double criminality” (assessment in abstracto) facilitates extradition even with differences in the qualification of acts and the extradition of a crime is determined not only by its punishability, but also by the degree of transnational threat</jats:p>