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Four Georgians charged in organised crime case

The Swiss federal prosecutor's office has charged four men with running the Swiss operations of an organised crime ring active across Europe.

Its members are believed to be behind a wave of burglaries and shoplifting in Switzerland.

Swiss authorities said on Monday that the Georgian nationals were indicted by the nation’s highest criminal court, accused of membership of the so-called “Thieves in Law” criminal organisation. 

Authorities said in a statement that they were investigating 30 others in the international organisation whose members have a common fund, their own language and tattoos showing their rank and function.

The Swiss investigation into the activities of the group in Switzerland began in 2009 and is ongoing. The organisation, which emerged in Soviet times, has spread beyond the former Soviet Union in the past 20 years.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR