Three arrested in Tbilisi over drug trafficking offences, including one foreign citizen

Georgian police have arrested three people, including one foreign national, on suspicion of illegally purchasing, possessing and distributing narcotic drugs, as well as facilitating their sale, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

According to the ministry, officers from the Vake-Saburtalo and Isani-Samgori divisions of the Tbilisi Police Department carried out the arrests during separate operations.

Investigators said that, under a court order, police conducted several controlled purchases of narcotics from the foreign national suspect and covertly recorded the transactions using audio and video equipment.

Searches of the suspects and subsequent investigative measures led to the seizure of exceptionally large quantities of drugs allegedly prepared for sale, including alpha-PVP and marijuana, the ministry said.

If convicted, the suspects face up to 20 years' imprisonment or life in prison, according to the Interior Ministry.