Four foreign citizens arrested in Batumi over large-scale drug offences

Four foreign nationals have been arrested in Batumi on suspicion of repeatedly acquiring and possessing particularly large quantities of drugs and facilitating their sale, Georgia’s Interior Ministry has said.

The arrests were made at different times during joint operations by the Central Criminal Police Department’s main division for combating drug trafficking and the Adjara Police Department.

Searches of the suspects, their temporary accommodation and a vehicle uncovered particularly large quantities of various drugs allegedly prepared for distribution.

The seized substances included 243 packages of methadone and nearly 50 grams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the ministry said.

Law enforcement officers also seized materials allegedly intended for packaging drugs for sale.

The offences carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.