Police Detain 18 Individuals Linked to Criminal Underworld Across Georgia
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), on November 14, Georgian police, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, arrested 18 people in Tbilisi, as well as regions of Adjara, Guria, Samegrelo and Shida Kartli for having links with the criminal underworld. Six people were arrested for belonging to the criminal underworld, five for supporting its activities, and seven people for requesting the assistance of a “thief in law” and a member of the criminal underworld.
“Thieves in law,” also known as “vor v zakone” in Russian [“вор в законе” – Russian], is a term to describe influential people within the organized crime world, particularly in the context of Soviet and post-Soviet criminal groups. “Thieves in law” are often involved in overseeing criminal activities, mediating conflicts, and enforcing their own set of rules within the criminal hierarchy, in the absence of well-functioning and effective state law-enforcement. Membership in, endorsement of, and seeking assistance from “thieves in law” for settling disputes are punishable by law in Georgia.
According to the MIA, the investigation revealed “that the defendants were in contact with ‘thieves in law’ residing abroad in order to settle financial disputes between citizens and to receive personal benefits”. The police say that “on the instructions of the ‘thieves in law’ Ruslan Gegechkori, Tengiz Khoperia, Jeyran Kintsurashvili, Revaz Mliladze and Paata Bakradze, the so-called ‘criminal skirmishes’ were organized,” in which the disputing parties participated.
According to the Ministry, the accused followed the “thieves’ traditions” by forcing one party to pay a certain amount of money to the other to settle a dispute, as well as to the “thieves” themselves. Failure to comply with the instructions of the “thieves in law” resulted in both verbal and physical abuse.
The investigation is being conducted under Article 223 (1), Part I, Article 223(3), Part II, Article 223 (4), Article I, Article 273 (1), and Article 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The crimes committed are punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment.
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This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
