75 people arrested in Georgia in major drug-trafficking sweep, Deputy Interior Minister

Georgia’s police have detained 75 individuals on drug-related charges over the past 48 hours, Deputy Interior Minister Giorgi Sakhokia announced on Friday, describing the operation as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown.

According to the ministry, coordinated raids were carried out simultaneously in Tbilisi and multiple regions. The detainees include both Georgian nationals and foreign citizens. They are accused of purchasing, storing, distributing, or facilitating the sale of large and particularly large quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances.

Sakhokia said evidence obtained through court-sanctioned covert investigative measures - including audio and video recordings - indicated that most of the suspects were systematically involved in drug distribution, employing a range of methods to sell illicit substances.

Searches of homes, vehicles, and personal belongings, as well as investigative experiments conducted at locations identified by the suspects, resulted in the seizure of significant amounts of drugs prepared for sale. Substances included cocaine, heroin, alpha-PVP, MDMA, methadone, Subutex, buprenorphine, pregabalin, Lyrica, and marijuana.

Police also confiscated firearms, packaging materials used for drug distribution, and cash allegedly linked to the illegal trade.

The investigation is ongoing under several articles of Georgia’s Criminal Code, including 260, 260¹³, 260¹⁴ and 261, which carry penalties of up to 20 years or life imprisonment.