The newspaper cited Warsaw as an example, where over the past two months, authorities successfully dismantled two criminal groups specializing in thefts, robberies, and assaults.

Their targets were often couriers and currency exchange employees, and the loot typically included various amounts of cash.

“They observe people who withdraw cash from banks or exchange it at currency exchanges, then puncture their car tires. The driver instinctively gets out to check what happened. That’s when they [usually] steal the money,” said a spokesperson for the Warsaw police.

“No property from the [detected] crimes has been found, which suggests it is being hidden or that other individuals are responsible for concealing, facilitating, and organizing the logistics of the operation,” a prosecutor told the daily.

The gangs’ activities are facilitated by the ease of entry as Georgian citizens can enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days (within a six-month period) for business, tourism, or family purposes, requiring only a biometric passport.

“The detection of crimes committed by such individuals is difficult because they usually come from the same family, clan, or live in the same municipality or district in Georgia, which leads to insularity and makes it hard to infiltrate these groups,” the prosecutor added.

“Crimes [committed by gangs] from Eastern countries... will escalate,” former head of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBŚ) told the daily, adding that dismantling Georgian groups is in fact challenging.

“They benefit from anonymity. There are people in these groups who are from unknown origins, making it hard to link who knows who and who is working together. There’s no information exchange like there is between EU country services.”