The U.S. Embassy in Georgia has expressed gratitude to Georgian law enforcement agencies for their role in a joint operation that led to the arrest of several suspects accused of facilitating illegal entry into the United States and forging documents.

In a statement, the Embassy said the arrests were the result of months of close cooperation between US and Georgian law enforcement agencies, The Caspian Post reports, citing Georgia Today.

“We welcome the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office announcement today about the arrest of several individuals on charges of defrauding Georgian citizens related to illegal entry to the United States and document forgery. It is the result of months of strong law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Georgia. Thank you to the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office and Georgian law enforcement officials involved in the investigation and operation,” the US Embassy stated.

Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia says the operation was conducted jointly with the Regional Security Office of the US Embassy and led to the identification of two organized criminal groups.

Investigators allege that the groups deceived Georgian citizens by promising assistance in obtaining legal entry to the United States, while in reality providing forged documents and facilitating fraudulent schemes. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing.

The operation highlights continued cooperation between Georgian and US law enforcement agencies in combating transnational crime, document fraud, and illegal migration-related offenses.