Tariel Oniani Prime Crime Top

Born in 1952 in the Georgian mining town of Tkibuli, Oniani turned to crime following the death of his father in a mining accident. He was first convicted of armed robbery at age 17 and was initiated as a while serving his sentence. By the 1980s, he had established himself as a dominant figure in Moscow's criminal underworld. International Expansion and "Operation Avispa"

He was first convicted of armed robbery at age 17. During this early prison stint, he was initiated into the elite criminal brotherhood as a vor v zakone .

Upon his return to Moscow, Oniani found himself in direct conflict with the reigning kingpin of the Russian underworld, . This feud remains the most thoroughly covered conflict on Prime Crime. Faction / Leader Base of Power Primary Alliances Outcome / Status Tariel Oniani (Taro) Kutaisi Clan Merab Dzhangveladze, Badri Koguashvili Extradited, active behind the scenes Aslan Usoyan (Grandpa Hassan) Tbilisi/Yezidi Clan Vyacheslav Ivankov ("Yaponchik"), Shakro Molodoy Assassinated in January 2013 tariel oniani prime crime top

, one of the most powerful factions in the Russian and Georgian mafia. Profile and Background Born in 1952 in Tkibuli, Georgia. Initiation:

His decade-long sentence was not the end of his legal troubles. Upon his release in April 2019, Oniani was immediately re-arrested, this time based on an international warrant from Spain. After being stripped of his Russian citizenship (which he had obtained illegally), he was extradited to Spain on October 23, 2019, to face charges of money laundering and leading a criminal organization. Reports from 2021 suggested that after his release from Spanish custody, he relocated to Barcelona. Born in 1952 in the Georgian mining town

Oniani built a vast international criminal empire with outposts across Europe, specifically Spain, France, and Greece. His influence persists even during periods of incarceration through a network of loyal subordinates and "thieves' meetings" ( Status in 2026:

In Spain, Taro built an empire masquerading as a legitimate enterprise. He controlled airline stock and managed massive construction firms that secretly exploited illegal immigrant labor. His operations unraveled in 2005 during . Spanish police deployed 400 heavily armed officers and armored vehicles to raid his luxury villa in Barcelona. While his daughter was detained, Oniani miraculously evaded capture and fled back to Russia, using a forged passport. The Great Mafia War: Taro vs. Ded Khasan International Expansion and "Operation Avispa" He was first

In the complex and often brutal world of post-Soviet organized crime, few names evoke as much fear, respect, and controversy as Tariel Oniani. Known by the nickname "Taro," Oniani is widely considered one of the top "thieves-in-law" (vor v zakone)—a title holding immense power in the Russian and Georgian mafia hierarchy. His life, a saga spanning three decades of international crime, from Moscow’s boardrooms to Spanish luxury villas, has placed him at the pinnacle of international organized crime surveillance.

While behind bars, Russia stripped Oniani of his citizenship, rendering him a stateless person and setting the stage for international legal battles. Upon completing his Russian prison sentence in April 2019, he was immediately detained and subsequently to face the outstanding charges from Operation Wasp. 5. Tariel Oniani's Standings in the Prime Crime Hierarchy

: Moved to Paris in the 1990s, where he established ties with other major criminal figures.