Armenian citizen arrested in Georgia for alleged drug smuggling

Authorities in Georgia have arrested an Armenian national accused of smuggling and possessing a large quantity of illegal drugs, the Interior Ministry has announced.

The suspect, identified only as A.V., born in 1984, was detained during a joint operation conducted by officers from the Central Criminal Police Department and the Customs Department of the Revenue Service, the MIA press office said on Monday. 

According to the ministry, police located nearly one kilogram of the synthetic drug “clephedrone” concealed inside a vehicle the suspect was driving at the Sadakhlo border checkpoint. The substance was seized as evidence.

The investigation is ongoing under Articles 260 and 262 of the Georgian Criminal Code, which relate to the illegal purchase, possession and importation of narcotic drugs. The offence carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.