Seven foreign citizens arrested in Batumi over prostitution charges

Police in Georgia’s Autonomous Republic of Adjara, in the country’s west, have arrested seven foreign nationals on charges related to facilitating prostitution and providing premises for sex work, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sain on Monday.

The detainees are citizens of China and Thailand. The arrests followed a coordinated investigation by officers of the Adjara Police Department, which included court-authorised audio and video surveillance, the MIA said.

Investigators alleged that the suspects systematically rented out premises in Batumi to women involved in prostitution in exchange for payment. Police said the group also helped recruit clients, collected money earned through prostitution, and distributed the proceeds.

As part of the operation, law enforcement officers arrested seven individuals and shut down 12 establishments linked to the alleged activities. Women employed at the premises were taken in for questioning and further legal procedures, the ministry said.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison.