Georgian police seize large quantities of drugs, arrest five in Tbilisi

Georgian police have seized large quantities of illegal drugs and arrested five people in Tbilisi on suspicion of possessing exceptionally large quantities of narcotics and facilitating their distribution, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

The arrests were carried out at different times by officers from the Didube-Chughureti and Gldani-Nadzaladevi divisions of the Tbilisi Police Department, the ministry said.

Searches of the suspects' homes and personal belongings, as well as evidence recovered from various locations across the capital, led to the seizure of large quantities of narcotics allegedly prepared for distribution, the body said.

The seized substances included alpha-PVP and methadone, the ministry said. Police also confiscated materials used to package the drugs.

The offence provides for penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment.