Georgia Detains and Extradites “Anar007” to Azerbaijan in Martin Offshore iGaming Case

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said on 19 August 2026 that Anar Islam oglu Aliyev, known as “Anar007,” was detained in Georgia and brought to Azerbaijan over an investigation into illegal iGaming products operated under the Martin brand and other names linked to chc.play. For high-risk PSPs, the detail that matters is the alleged operating model: casino and betting activity run from Georgia, with payments, cash-out, and crypto conversion handled through a distributed support team.

1. The ministry said Aliyev was wanted for organizing illegal iGaming products under Martin and other brands connected to chc.play. It did not separately specify the exact date of the arrest, only that the information was published on 19 August.
2. According to the investigation, Aliyev created an organized group, placed its members in Tbilisi and other Georgian cities, and used that base to run online casino and betting operations. In other words: the front end may have been aimed at Azerbaijan, but the operating footprint sat in Georgia.
3. Six other people were detained in the case: Ashraf Gasanzade, Seymour Nurullayev, Etibar Sultanov, Rashad Rezazade, Sharghin Aliyev, and Anar Suraj oglu Aliyev. The investigation says the group provided SIM cards, bank cards, and technical equipment, cashed out proceeds from online casinos, and moved funds in cryptocurrency.
4. The court ordered detention for Anar Aliyev and Sharghin Aliyev. The ministry said the arrest was carried out in a joint operation by Azerbaijan’s cyber police and Georgian law enforcement, then the suspect was transferred to Azerbaijan.

For payment teams, this is the familiar high-risk stack in compact form: SIMs, bank cards, cash-out flows, and crypto rails wrapped around offshore iGaming. If your controls are built around merchant labels alone, cases like this are exactly how the model walks around them.