Interior Minister says 6 criminal authorities, 202 drug dealers, 184 cybercriminals detained in 2022
In his address to the Parliament, Gomelauri said the work of the police had “strengthened the fight” against organised crime throughout the year, addressing one of the recommendations from European partners. Photo: MIA of Georgia
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The number of criminal cases across Georgia decreased over the past year compared to 2021 due to the “effective work” of law enforcement bodies and “constantly improving” legislation, Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri said on Tuesday.
In his address to the Parliament, Gomelauri said the work of the police had “strengthened the fight” against organised crime throughout the year, addressing one of the recommendations from European partners.
“[T]rends show that illegal drug trade, cybercrime and organised criminal groups connected with the criminal world are a significant challenge. That is the reason operative and investigative measures are carried out on a permanent basis”, the Minister told lawmakers.
Gomelauri presented statistics for the past year, which showed:
- Six criminal authorities detained by law enforcement
- 79 individuals “held accountable” for membership of, or support for, the “criminal underworld”
- 202 individuals detained for sale of drugs, along with 62 online drug dealers
- 12 online drug stores closed
- 184 cybercriminals arrested
The Minister also said combating human trafficking had been a “priority” for his office in 2022, with mobile groups operated to prevent trafficking checking “dozens of risk locations”, and five individuals charged for trafficking.
In comments for MPs, he also cited Georgia’s “leading” positions worldwide in rankings for the work on combating human trafficking.
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The implemented and planned infrastructure projects were highlighted by Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri on Tuesday in his address to the Georgian Parliament, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
The first stage of the criminal police reform was concluded in 2022, with the operational, investigative and preventive directions completely separated from each other, Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri said on Tuesday.
Law enforcement officers have arrested 58 individuals, including 31 drug dealers, for the sale, purchase, possession and smuggling of drugs across the country over the recent period, Georgian police said on Thursday.
Georgian law enforcement agencies solved 16,738 out of 27,057 criminal cases between January and June to reach a 61.86 percent solution rate, new figures released by the Interior Ministry on Thursday show.
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