Crime Top — Tariel Oniani Prime
On October 23, 2019, . In April 2020, the Spanish Audiencia Nacional (National Court) found him guilty of being the head of a criminal organization. He was sentenced to four years in prison and fined approximately €35,000 for his role as the "prime crime" boss of the Kutaisi network.
In 2010, a Moscow court sentenced Oniani to 10 years in a maximum-security prison for the kidnapping of a Georgian businessman and extortion. While behind bars, Oniani’s Russian citizenship was stripped, rendering him stateless and making him vulnerable to international arrest warrants.
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 . tariel oniani prime crime top
Born in 1952 in Georgia, he was initiated as a thief-in-law while in prison at age 17. By the 1980s, he had become a dominant figure in Moscow's underworld. International Operations:
Oniani’s ranking on Prime Crime is often defined by his legendary rivalry with Aslan "Grandpa Hassan" Usoyan On October 23, 2019,
In Spain, Oniani operated with immense sophistication, managing airline stock and a sprawling network of construction companies. However, in 2005, the Spanish police executed —a massive sting operation targeted directly at his syndicate. Though Spanish authorities arrested dozens of his associates (including his business partner Zakhar Kalashov), Taro narrowly escaped capture and fled back to Russia using false identities. The Great Post-Soviet Mafia War
Oniani’s sun-drenched European idyll came to an abrupt end in June 2005. After years of international intelligence gathering, Spanish authorities launched a massive, coordinated sting named . The scale of the operation was unprecedented: over 400 police officers, backed by armored vehicles and helicopters, raided properties across Spain in a single morning. The results were staggering. Authorities detained 28 members of Oniani's gang, blocked over 800 bank accounts, and seized a vast portfolio of real estate assets. Among those arrested was his business partner, fellow crime boss Zakhar Kalashov. In 2010, a Moscow court sentenced Oniani to
Crowned in the late 1960s or early 1970s, Taro belongs to the old-school cadre of thieves, giving him immense seniority over younger generations of criminals.
Returning to Russia, Oniani became embroiled in a violent power struggle with another top mobster, Aslan "Grandpa Hassan" Usoyan