Georgian police seize drugs worth $2 million on black market, arrest two foreign nationals

Law enforcement officers have seized up to 33 kilograms of drugs, with an estimated black-market value of ₾ 6 million ($2,297,000), and arrested two foreign nationals in the city of Rustavi, the Georgian Interior Ministry said.

Davit Kiknadze, the Director of the Central Criminal Police Department, said the officers had seized up to 33 kilograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), commonly known as hashish, from a residential apartment used by one of the suspects. Part of the drugs had been concealed inside car tires at the apartment.

Police also seized particularly large quantities of cocaine, heroin and methadone from another apartment belonging to the suspects and from a hotel room in Rustavi.

The investigation established that the two suspects were acting together and had planned to distribute the drugs using various methods. Their plans were thwarted following an operational response by law enforcement officers, Kiknadze said.

In addition to the two foreign nationals, police arrested 24 more people in Tbilisi and other regions over the past several days as part of intensive operations targeting drug-related crimes. Fifteen of those arrested were involved in drug distribution in various ways.

According to the Interior Ministry, the suspects used internet applications, direct hand-to-hand transfers and the concealment of drugs at designated locations.

Law enforcement officers seized various types of drugs prepared for distribution in particularly large quantities, materials used for packaging narcotics and cash. Specially equipped greenhouses used for the illegal cultivation of large quantities of narcotic substances were also uncovered.

The investigation is ongoing, with the charges carrying penalties of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to actively carry out comprehensive measures to prevent the illegal import and distribution of narcotic drugs in the country”, Kiknadze said.