Crime boss charged as Armenia police target mafia royalty

Yerevan authorities are probing the suspected illegal acquisition and possession of narcotics by a local crime figure.

The investigative committee said that on June 20 officers searched the home of Alexander Makaryan, a crime figure considered to be a “thief-in-law”, who is an ethnic Armenian but a Russian citizen, and found over 11.19 grams of marijuana in his possession.

On June 21, Makaryan, aka Alo, was charged for illegal acquisition and possession of narcotics. The prosecutor filed a motion to the court to remand the suspect in custody,

The investigation continues, the investigative committee said.

This phenomenon, known as thief-in-law, emerged in the infamous Soviet gulags and became a prison culture in most of post-Soviet states.

“Thief-in-law” is a specifically granted formal status of a professional criminal who enjoys an elite position within the organized crime environment and employs informal authority over its lower-status members. Criminals are “crowned” as thieves-in-law by senior members of the organized crime syndicates for many years of contributions to the criminal business or long record behind bars.

Thieves-in-law are known for their distinctive tattoos and code of conduct.