Agents of the National Police have dismantled a cell of an organization of Georgian origin dedicated to itinerant robberies in homes. He was part of one of the organizations led by a “Thief in Law” or “Vor v Zakone”, the head of Georgian organized crime, which are characterized by being strongly hierarchical and structured and by acting transnationally.
They were based in Madrid and roamed throughout the national territory, carrying out dozens of robberies in a few days in the same town and later moving to another town. They marked farms or buildings by placing plastic markers or invisible threads to detect possible empty houses and carried out the robberies at night or on weekends with picks to pick the locks or using methods such as bumping, impresioning or magic key. The stolen effects were delivered to the network of receivers in charge of giving them an outlet and they made monetary transfers to Georgia and other countries to other members of the network.
The investigation began when the agents detected an itinerant group dedicated to the repeated commission of robberies in homes that were based in the Community of Madrid. After the first steps, they verified that said group was obtaining logistical support from a number of people of Georgian nationality and that they could also be providing help to other groups that were operating throughout Spain and at a transnational level.
After several efforts, the agents found out that the people investigated were part of the Georgian mafia organizations, led by a “Thief in Law” or “Vor v Zakone”, the head of Georgian organized crime. These networks are dedicated to committing violent robberies in homes and are characterized by being strongly hierarchical and structured, which makes them impervious to police action. In turn, they are subdivided into operational cells, made up of between two and four people and which operate itinerantly throughout an entire territory. Each of these cells temporarily settles in a country through an extensive logistics network that supplies its members with falsified documents from various countries to avoid being identified, as well as safe houses, frequently rented by front men who are usually women of Georgian origin. Throughout the investigation, it was found that those investigated deployed the usual modus operandi of these organizations. Some of the cell members traveled to different European countries during the holiday season and received the necessary logistical support from other members who resided in that country.
Once their presence in our country was detected, the agents found out that through a rental car they traveled throughout the national territory and acted on an itinerant basis. Thus, they carried out dozens of robberies in the same town and later moved to another community to continue their criminal activity. During their stay in these towns, they stayed in tourist apartments or safe houses belonging to other citizens of Georgian origin, keeping a low profile to go unnoticed.
In the course of the investigation, the police verified that the investigated criminal group carried out a perfectly established modus operandi. Thus, in a first phase of marking or "planting" in different farms or buildings, they placed plastic markers or invisible thread to find out if the inhabitants of the house were inside when they returned, knowing if the door had been opened or not. Subsequently, they carried out the robberies in the houses that were on the same farm and on the same day, normally acting at night and on weekends. During the commission of the crime, one of the members of the group watched outside the farm while the rest went inside and with lock picks they forced the doors of the homes. On some occasions they used other methods such as bumping, impresioning or the magic key (pick). Once the robberies were carried out, the stolen effects were delivered to the network of recipients in charge of disposing of them. They also made money transfers through money transfer companies that sent to Georgia and other countries and were received by other members of the network.
As a result of the investigation, the agents were able to verify that those responsible for the criminal group had traveled to the Galician area to carry out the robberies with force at homes. For this reason, a device was established to locate and arrest those responsible. Once the agents identified the three members and found out that they were in the province of Lugo willing to act, they were arrested. Subsequently, the search of the apartment where they were located was carried out, in which stolen objects were intervened, among which were luxury watches,
