Georgian police arrest 27 over criminal underworld links

Georgian police have arrested 27 people over alleged links to the country's criminal underworld and plan to charge six more, including a suspected crime boss known as a "thief-in-law" who is believed to be abroad, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a briefing, Central Criminal Police Department Director Davit Kiknadze said the operation was carried out jointly with the Prosecutor General's Office as part of an ongoing crackdown on organized crime.

The suspects acted on instructions from alleged "thief-in-law" Mamuka Chkhaberidze, who is outside Georgia, and organized meetings to settle disputes in accordance with criminal underworld rules.

Police alleged the group mediated financial disputes between individuals, ordering payments in favor of one party or themselves and threatening victims with violence or death if they failed to comply.

Searches of the suspects' homes led to the seizure of computers, mobile phones allegedly used to communicate with each other and with Chkhaberidze, as well as firearms and ammunition, the ministry said.

The offences carry prison sentences of up to 15 years upon conviction.

Kiknadze said that since the beginning of the year, Georgian law enforcement authorities have arrested or charged 343 people over alleged ties to the criminal underworld, including eight alleged "thieves-in-law."