Police uncover drug laboratory in Tbilisi, arrest two Kazakh citizens

Police in Tbilisi have uncovered an illicit drug laboratory and arrested two citizens of Kazakhstan on drug-related charges, Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has said.

The officers from the Vake-Saburtalo Division of the Tbilisi Police Department carried out the operation following a series of investigative measures, the Ministry said on Tuesday.

Investigators alleged that the suspects were manufacturing narcotics in a makeshift laboratory set up inside a temporary residence, using various chemical substances and precursors with the intention of distributing the drugs.

The ministry said evidence gathered during the investigation also indicated that the suspects had been selling the illicit substances through a variety of methods.

During searches of the suspects and the property, police seized nearly 20 kilograms of various narcotic substances, which authorities described as a particularly large quantity.

The offences carry penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment or life imprisonment upon conviction, according to the Interior Ministry.