An Iranian Accused of Human Trafficking Arrested at Tbilisi Airport

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced that an Iranian accused of human trafficking, who had flown from Tehran to Georgia, was arrested upon arrival at Tbilisi Airport. This Iranian, 50 years old and identified by the initials 'M.Y.', is wanted by Interpol for violating Article 77 of the Belgian Criminal Code regarding human trafficking. According to Giorgi Mziuriashvili, an official from the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the case of this man is currently in the pre-extradition stage. This Iranian national, arrested in a joint operation by the Interpol office in Tbilisi and the police force of Georgia, has been wanted since 2015. The exact time of his arrest has not been disclosed. Following a contact from Radio Farda, officials from the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs refrained from providing further information regarding the accusations against the detainee and the status of his case. Iran has yet to respond to this news and the possibility of his extradition to Belgium. Last December, the UK National Crime Agency reported that following investigations across Europe, 33 individuals were arrested in connection with the trafficking of migrants from Iran to the UK. These individuals were the main suspects linked to a criminal ring that, according to the agency, had smuggled hundreds of people into Europe and then the UK using forged documents. A video of the arrest of this Iranian has been published on the website of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.