Police arrest 11 on drug-related charges in Tbilisi

Georgian police have arrested 11 people in the capital city of Tbilisi on drug-related charges, including the illegal possession, sale and cultivation of narcotics, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Saturday.

The body added the arrests were carried out by officers from several district police divisions across the capital. The suspects include both previously convicted individuals and foreign nationals.

Investigators allege the detainees were involved in the illegal purchase and possession of large and particularly large quantities of drugs, drug trafficking, facilitating drug sales and the unlawful cultivation of narcotic plants.

During searches of the suspects, their homes and vehicles, police seized significant quantities of drugs allegedly prepared for distribution, including methadone, alpha-PVP, morphine, codeine, dried marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The Ministry said officers also conducted controlled purchases of narcotics from one of the suspects under a court order, with the transactions secretly audio and video recorded as part of the investigation.

Police additionally seized packaging materials allegedly used for drug distribution, as well as cash believed to have been obtained through drug sales.

The investigation is ongoing under several articles of Georgia’s Criminal Code. If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.