Four arrested in Batumi in drug trafficking investigation

Four people, including three foreign nationals and one Georgian citizen, have been arrested in Batumi on drug-related charges, Georgia’s Interior Ministry said.

Officers from the Adjara Main Division of the Central Criminal Police Department arrested the suspects at different times on charges involving the illegal acquisition and possession of large and particularly large quantities of drugs, facilitating their sale, and the illegal cultivation of plants containing narcotic substances.

Investigators established that one of the suspects had set up a special greenhouse in a rented apartment in Batumi, where the person was illegally growing and cultivating cannabis for subsequent sale.

During searches of the suspects, a temporary residence and a vehicle, police seized particularly large quantities of various drugs, including 25 packages of mephedrone, 20 packages of hashish and up to 4 kilograms of cannabis.

Police also seized materials used for drug packaging and cannabis cultivation, the ministry said.

The offences carry sentences of up to 20 years or life imprisonment.