Georgian and Spanish police arrest 13 in international operation targeting burglary network

Law enforcement agencies from Georgia and Spain have arrested 13 people as part of an international operation targeting an organised burglary network.

The operation, codenamed CACHABA, was carried out in close cooperation with the Georgian police attaché in Spain and followed a year of intensive coordination between the law enforcement agencies of the two countries, the MIA of Georgia said on Friday.

Investigators said members of the criminal group were linked to 27 residential burglaries committed across different regions of Spain.

Authorities alleged that the network consisted of two branches - one made up of individuals of Georgian origin who allegedly carried out the burglaries, and a Spanish branch responsible for selling stolen property in various cities.

The coordinated operation was conducted simultaneously in Madrid, Valencia, Guadalajara and Alicante across a total of nine locations.

The alleged offences carry prison sentences of up to eight years, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry.