Georgian law enforcement authorities arrested 21 people in another crackdwon on the criminal underworld, the so-called “thieves’ world,” Davit Kiknadze, Director of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Interior Ministry, announced at a June 17 briefing.
Kiknadze said another nine individuals have been charged, some already in prison and others in absentia, including one so-called “thief-in-law” currently abroad. They face up to 15 years in prison.
According to Kiknadze, covert investigative operations revealed that the accused organized so-called “thieves’ trials” to resolve financial disputes, with the participation of Elmuraz Mamedovi, the so-called “thief-in-law” currently abroad, who communicated with people in Georgia who, “acting both for personal gain and in the interests of the criminal authority,” compelled citizens to pay large sums of money from their businesses within specified deadlines. In cases of missed deadlines, they threatened individuals with “physical retaliation or murder.”
Police seized vehicles, ammunition, firearms, mobile phones, and computer equipment as evidence. They also seized “more than USD 62,000” allegedly collected for the so-called “thieves’ fund.”
The arrests follow a series of similar operations in recent months. In May, authorities announced the arrest of 44 individuals allegedly linked to the criminal underworld. Similar crackdowns resulted in 44 arrests in April, 72 in March, 45 in February, and 49 in December. In November, police detained 34 individuals during another operation, while one suspect died during a law enforcement raid.
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