Georgia detains 49 in crackdown on criminal underworld networks

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has detained 49 individuals linked to the so-called “thieves’ world,” a term used to describe organised criminal networks, and has filed charges in absentia against 14 more suspects, including five alleged “thieves-in-law,” senior police officials said.

Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Darakhvelidze told a media briefing that those detained are accused of membership in the criminal underworld, participation in criminal gatherings, supporting the activities of organised crime groups, and facilitating contact with senior criminal figures. He said most of the suspects had previously been convicted of serious or particularly serious crimes, Caliber.Az reports via Geogian media.

Darakhvelidze said the police operation was carried out on the basis of a court warrant and followed months of covert investigative measures authorised by a judge. According to the investigation, the suspects maintained regular contact with “thieves-in-law” based abroad, followed their instructions and played an active role in sustaining the activities of the criminal underworld.

The deputy minister said investigators had also established that so-called “thieves’ showdowns” — informal dispute-resolution meetings within the criminal hierarchy — were organised on multiple occasions in Georgia and overseas, with the participation of both local suspects and “thieves-in-law” residing abroad.

As part of the operation, police conducted personal searches and searches of suspects’ homes, seizing computer equipment and mobile phones used to communicate with each other and with criminal leaders outside the country. Firearms were also recovered during the searches, the ministry said.

By Sabina Mammadli