Georgian Police arrest 34 individuals linked to “criminal underworld”

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia has conducted large-scale operations across the country as part of five ongoing criminal cases.

As a result, 34 individuals have been arrested on charges of membership in a criminal organisation, supporting criminal activities, and appealing to a member of a criminal organisation.

In addition, charges have been filed in absentia against seven others - including two individuals currently in penitentiary facilities, four located abroad, and one so-called “thief-in-law”.

During the operation in the village of Kabal of Lagodekhi district, one of the suspects, who was wanted under a court order, opened fire on members of a special task unit.

“As a result, one special forces officer sustained a severe chest injury. Police returned fire, neutralising Mirza Aliev on the spot”, Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Deputy Interior Minister of Georgia, said.

The coordinated nationwide operation was carried out by units of the Central Criminal Police Department, as well as the Tbilisi, Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and Special Tasks Departments. The crimes in question are punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment.

Through several months of covert investigative activities, law enforcement established that the detained members and supporters of the so-called

“criminal underworld” were involved in resolving financial disputes between citizens, maintaining contact with “thieves-in-law” based abroad, and carrying out their directives.

Investigators also determined that so-called “criminal trials” were organized involving both the accused and disputing parties, during which violators of the “rules” were fined or threatened with death. One of the key figures identified in these criminal activities is Elmuraz Mamedov, a known criminal authority.

Searches conducted in the homes and personal belongings of the suspects led to the seizure of computer equipment, mobile phones, which were used to communicate domestically and internationally with criminal figures, as well as narcotics, firearms, and large sums of cash.