The Ministry of Internal Affairs, aiming to conduct effective fight against the international organized crime, actively continues cooperation with law enforcement agencies of the EU member states, Interpol and Europol with the assistance of Georgian police attaches deployed in Europe. Georgian, Irish and Spanish law enforcers, as a result of several-months of intensive cooperation, detained 5 Georgian citizens, members of criminal group in Dublin and Barcelona in the course of joint special operation.
As a result of special operation under the nickname – “Nandi-Mumbasa” law enforcers detained: V.J. (DoB 1972) S.G. (DoB 1974) T.B. (DoB 1997) in Dublin, while two more persons were taken under arrest in Barcelona, in particular: D.M. (DoB 1980) and M.M. DoB 1972).
The detainees are being accused of the membership of the criminal group, illegal purchase-keeping and making of the forged documents as well as for facilitation of illegal migration. For the crime committed by the Georgian citizens, Spanish legislation entails the term of imprisonment up to 8 years.
As a result of the search activities held in detainees’ temporary places of residence, law enforcers seized forged documents in large quantities as evidence.
Investigation established that detainees occasionally sent shipments (full of the forged documentation) which was used by hundreds of the Georgian citizens in Ireland and other European states for transportation.
It is worth mentioning that with the purpose to reveal and establish criminal ties of the detained persons, as well as for planning the operation, officers of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia and law enforcement agencies of Ireland and Spain conducted coordinated and time-consuming operative-investigative activities.
Investigation against Georgian criminal groups was initiated in 2018, after a number of detentions of Georgian citizens in Spain, while attempting to move to the direction of Ireland with the forged documents. Within the frames of the investigation, leaders of the criminal groups have been identified, while a number of cases were revealed when Georgian citizens got arrested for using forged travel documents in Lietuva and Slovakia.
Throughout 2018-2019, relevant law procedures against the Georgian citizens detained on the territory of Spain have been implemented.
Investigation against the Georgian citizens detained as a result of special operation “Nandi-Mombasa” is being conducted in accordance with articles envisaged by the Criminal Code of Spain. One of the main priorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia includes the fight against the organized crime. In this direction the agency is conducting active and fruitful activities inside the country as well as abroad.
Beginning from November of the current year up-to-date, the Ministry of Internal Affairs within the frames of international police cooperation with Belgian, French, Ukrainian, Spanish, Irish, Italian and Czech colleagues, conducted 12 large-scale operations as a result of which, 124 Georgian citizens were detained for grave crimes and links with criminal world including three “Thieves-in-law”.
