Nine arrested in Georgia over illegal firearms possession

Nine people have been detained in Tbilisi and several regions of Georgia after police seized a cache of illegal firearms and ammunition during a series of operations, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday.

The arrests were carried out by officers from the Patrol Police Department, Tbilisi Police, and regional police departments in Imereti, Kakheti and Shida Kartli.

Those detained include individuals born between 1961 and 1997, among them four with prior criminal records. The ministry said they face charges of unlawful purchase, storage and carrying of firearms and ammunition - offences that carry prison sentences of up to seven years.

During searches of suspects, their vehicles and homes, police confiscated a variety of weapons, including automatic firearms, revolvers, pistols, as well as cartridges and magazines.