11 detained in Georgia over large-scale drug trafficking

Employees of Georgia’s Patrol Police, Central Criminal Police Department and police departments in Tbilisi, Imereti and Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti have detained 11 people at different times on charges including the illegal acquisition and possession of particularly large quantities of drugs, facilitating drug trafficking, and the illegal cultivation of plants containing narcotic substances.

Both Georgian and foreign nationals are among those detained.

“Operational measures and investigative actions carried out as part of criminal cases established that some of the accused placed narcotic substances at pre-selected locations and then sent the relevant coordinates and photographs to interested individuals.

“Following searches of the accused persons, their personal belongings and temporary residences, as well as searches of locations they had indicated, police seized as evidence particularly large quantities of various narcotic substances prepared for sale, including cocaine, heroin, methadone, alpha-PVP, marijuana and cannabis plants.

“Investigators also seized materials allegedly intended for packaging narcotic substances, as well as money allegedly obtained from the sale of drugs.

The charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment,” the Interior Ministry said.