Ukrainian national arrested in Batumi over large-scale methadone case

Police in Georgia’s Adjara region of western Georgia have arrested a Ukrainian national on charges of illegally acquiring and possessing a particularly large quantity of narcotics, as well as facilitating their illegal distribution, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The MIA noted the officers from the Adjara Police Department detained the suspect, born in 1979, following searches in Batumi of both the individual and a temporary place of residence. 

Police seized 55 packages of methadone, allegedly prepared for sale, which investigators described as a particularly large quantity of the drug. Materials used for packaging narcotics were also recovered from the temporary residence.

If convicted, the offences carry a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.