4 Georgian criminal bosses and 34 others detained in France and Greece

Four Georgian criminal bosses and 34 Georgian members of criminal groups were detained in France and Greece on April 16-17 through cooperation with the Georgian Interior Ministry.

The operation named Caucase Normandie was held simultaneously in French and Greek cities to detain the suspects accused of hundreds of robberies, the possession and sale of robbed items and money laundering. 

The four criminal bosses detained are Lasha Shushanashvili , Aleksandre Kobaladze, Nodar Shukakidze and Merab Asanidze. Shukakidze and Kobaladze were detained in France, while Asanidze and Shukakidze were detained in Greece.

Georgia, France and Greece have been cooperating to detain the suspects for two years,” the Georgian Interior Ministry stated.

The ministry said that Georgia has "very effective” communication with European countries to combat organised and transnational crime.