135 people arrested in Georgia over drug offences

A total of 135 people, including 55 allegedly involved in drug dealing, have been arrested in Georgia over the past several days in operations carried out in Tbilisi and various regions, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

David Kiknadze, director of the Central Criminal Police Department, said both Georgian and foreign nationals were among those detained.

According to Kiknadze, investigators established that the suspects used various methods to distribute drugs. Police carried out several controlled drug purchases and covertly recorded the transactions with court authorisation.

During searches of the suspects, their vehicles and homes, as well as locations identified by them, police seized particularly large quantities of various drugs and psychotropic substances, the ministry said.

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