An alleged Russian kingpin has been arrested in the Czech Republic on suspicion of running an organized criminal group.
Czech police said on March 18 that the man -- a Russian citizen born in Georgia in 1963 -- was arrested on February 16.
Police described him as "a thief by law," a title traditionally given among Russian-speaking criminal groups to kingpins.
In a statement on March 18, Czech police spokesman Pavel Hanak said the man's accomplice, an Armenian citizen born in 1983, was also arrested.
The two men have so far been charged with extortion.
The statement said the two men were suspected of running an organized criminal group allegedly involved in a number of unidentified illegal activities in Prague and Karlovy Vary.
It added that the group consisted of Armenian, Georgian, Russian, and Ukrainian citizens.