Seven arrested in eastern Georgia over illegal firearms, major drug haul

Seven individuals have been arrested in Georgia's eastern Kakheti region after police seized a cache of illegal firearms, ammunition, and a substantial quantity of narcotics, the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) announced on Thursday. 

The arrests followed a series of coordinated operational and investigative actions by the Kakheti Police Department, which led to the confiscation of automatic weapons, hunting rifles, pistols, hand grenades, explosive devices, and hundreds of cartridges. A particularly large amount of heroin and dried marijuana was also recovered during the raids, the body said. 

The detainees, identified only by their initials and birth years, include J.M. (b.1958), G.K. (b.1980), G.F. (b.1992), K.Kh. (b.1967), G.A. (b.1973), N.B. (b.1996), and I.Q. (b.1983). Several of the suspects have prior criminal convictions, and one, N.B., is currently under probation.

According to the MIA, the charges include illegal purchase, possession, and carrying of firearms and ammunition, as well as possession of a particularly large quantity of narcotics and marijuana. If convicted, the suspects face prison sentences ranging from 20 years to life.