"Organised crime group leaders control a significant part of the economy in the Far East federal region," he said, according to comments released by the interior ministry.

"Growing social tension, the extent of organised crime in the economy (and) illegal immigration have become a real and serious threat to national security," he said, listing forestry, fishing and gold mining as heavily criminalised areas.

"Such major influence on the economic environment in the Far East greatly worries the ministry," he said.

Nurgaliyev said there had been 939 crimes in the forestry sector this year, with 13 million cubic metres (460 million cubic feet) of wood worth 500 million dollars logged illegally.

His statement marked a rare high-level admission of what critics have long identified as major mafia activity in the region's political and economic life.

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