Seven arrested in Georgia for large-scale drug offenses

Officers of the Central Criminal Police Department under Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs have arrested seven individuals on charges related to drug crimes.

The Ministry said the suspects were accused of illegally possessing, purchasing, and facilitating the sale of large and particularly large quantities of narcotics. The group includes both Georgian and foreign nationals.

Searches of the suspects’ residences and personal belongings, along with investigative experiments, led police to seize substantial quantities of drugs intended for sale, including cocaine, alpha-PVP, methadone, buprenorphine, and 81 tablets containing narcotic substances.

Authorities also confiscated materials used for packaging narcotics, as well as cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales.

One of the suspects was apprehended in Tbilisi following operational intelligence after allegedly intentionally striking a Central Criminal Police Department officer and a Ministry-owned vehicle with his car. 

The officer sustained multiple injuries and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. The suspect initially fled the scene but was later arrested, and additional narcotics intended for sale were recovered from one of his locations.

The crimes carry penalties of up to 20 years or life imprisonment.