German police raid Georgia-linked gang suspected of multiple thefts

About 200 German police officers took part in raids on a suspected Georgian criminal gang on Tuesday in three regions.

Six properties were searched and 12 people were detained in the state of Baden-Württemberg in the south-west, as well as in the cities of Hamburg and Berlin.

The focus of the operation was the city of Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg, according to a statement from the police.

Three detainees, two men and a woman aged between 27 and 54, currently face formal charges.

The Georgian nationals are said to have formed a gang to receive goods stolen by other Georgians in Germany, and to then transport them to Italy and Georgia.

The detainees are either based in the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg or don't have a permanent residence in Germany.

Officers raided two flats, three warehouses and a loading dock, securing suspected evidence.

The first inquiries in the case were launched by police in the Bavarian town of Deggendorf in February 2022 against Georgia-born individuals on suspicion of serious gang theft, and a formal investigation began in August.

They were suspected of shoplifting across Bavaria and hiding the stolen goods in asylum seeker shelters and reception centres were they were staying, among other places.

According to police, evidence emerged that this had been coordinated by members of a Russian-Eurasian organized crime syndicate based abroad.

The main suspect, a 54-year-old Georgian national, is an official subcontractor of the Georgian postal service, investigators said.

He was responsible for sending parcels from Germany to Georgia and for delivering parcels posted in Georgia in Germany.

He employed a low double-digit number of courier drivers and used numerous courier vehicles – mostly small vans, according to investigators.

Since March 2023, he had used a lorry rented in Georgia to bring the shipments collected in Germany from Reutlingen to Georgia directly, they said.

While this freight business had been "legal in general," it was also used "for profit to transport stolen goods such as bicycles, mobile phones, electronic items, clothing, spirits, perfume and other cosmetics," police said.

The investigations, led by the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office, were conducted in co-operation with Europol, Eurojust, the Stuttgart Police Headquarters and police forces of Georgia, Italy and Austria.