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Poland charges seven suspected Georgian mobsters

16.05.2025 14:00
Polish prosecutors said on Friday they have charged seven Georgian nationals, including a senior figure in Georgia’s criminal underworld, after police recovered stolen firearms and ammunition near Warsaw.
The stolen handguns.
The stolen handguns.Photo: Policja

Investigators found the cache in the village of Nowy Konik while probing a car burglary in the capital, interior-ministry spokesman Jacek Dobrzyński told reporters.

Officers arrested the seven men at the scene; one holds the rank of vor v zakone – literally “thief-in-law” – a title reserved for high-status leaders in the post-Soviet mafia hierarchy.

The Georgian "thief-in-law" captured by the Polish police. Photo: Policja The Georgian "thief-in-law" captured by the Polish police. Photo: Policja

Przemysław Nowak, spokesman for the National Prosecutor’s Office, said all suspects had been remanded in custody because of flight-risk and evidence-tampering concerns.

The prosecutor’s office added that nearly 600 Georgians have been charged in Poland so far this year with more than 400 offenses, ranging from burglary rings to extortion, reflecting what officials describe as rising activity by Georgian organized-crime groups across the European Union.

Poland is working with Interpol and neighboring countries to trace the weapons’ origin and determine whether the group planned further robberies or arms trafficking, the ministry said.

(jh)

Source: IAR, PAP