Employees of the Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with officers from the Central Criminal Police Department, arrested the persons as a result of joint operative activities and investigative actions. One of the detainees is a Georgian citizen J.E (Born in 1979) and the other two are foreign nationals: N.M (Born in 1989) and V.I (Born in 1999). They were detained for preparing the illegal transportation of a migrant across Georgia’s state border as part of an organized group.

The offense is punishable by a term of imprisonment ranging from 8 to 15 years.

The investigation established that the accused persons J.E; N.M., and V.I. — jointly organized the preparation for the hidden transfer of a migrant from Georgia to Turkey via the Sarpi border crossing point, using a cargo truck. In return, they received a large amount of money.

Pursuant to a court order, officers of the Border Police conducted a controlled delivery of money to the suspects for preparing an illegal border crossing and covertly recorded the incident using audio and video surveillance.

As a result of searches of the suspects and their vehicle, law enforcement officers seized a large amount of money handed over during the controlled operation as evidence.

The investigation is ongoing under Article 18-344¹, Part 3, Subparagraph "a" of the Criminal Code of Georgia.