Georgia arrests 12 Turkish nationals wanted on serious criminal charges

Police in Georgia have arrested 12 Turkish citizens wanted by Turkish authorities on serious and organised crime charges, officials said on Wednesday.

Irakli Dondoladze, deputy head of the Central Criminal Police Department, said the detentions followed 24 hours of coordinated operations across the country, carried out jointly with Turkish law enforcement.

The suspects were the subject of Interpol red notices issued by Turkey over the past five years. According to investigators, eight of them had entered Georgia before being placed on the international wanted list, while four entered the country illegally. Criminal proceedings have been launched in the latter cases.

Those arrested are accused of offences including aggravated murder  among them the killing of a young child - attempted murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, grievous bodily harm, forming and joining organised criminal groups, extortion, theft, illegal possession of firearms, drug-related crimes, document forgery, investment fraud and embezzlement. In total, they are alleged to be linked to 178 criminal episodes.

During a search of one suspect, police said they had seized an illegal firearm and ammunition.

The arrests were the result of a lengthy investigation involving Georgia’s Interior Ministry, the Prosecutor-General’s Office, the State Security Service, Turkey’s Interpol bureau, its organised crime units, and liaison officers from Turkey’s police and gendarmerie in Georgia, the MIA of Georgia said.

All 12 suspects are currently undergoing extradition proceedings.