Georgian law enforcement officers seize 250 kilograms of heroin

Aleksandre Darakhvelidze, the Deputy Interior Minister of Georgia, on Thursday said that law enforcement officers had prevented an international drug trafficking operation, seizing 250 kilograms of heroin worth ₾ 80 million ($29,674,000).

“I would like to inform the public about a large-scale police operation carried out by officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Law enforcement officers have uncovered and prevented another case of international drug trafficking”, Darakhvelidze said.

Two Georgian citizens, previously convicted of drug-related crimes, have been arrested for the illegal purchase and possession of a particularly large quantity of narcotics, as well as for the illegal import and export of drugs into and from Georgia.

The crime is punishable by up to 20 years or life imprisonment.

According to the evidence obtained during the investigation, a truck that, according to customs documentation, was transporting ‘wet wipes’ entered Georgia from a neighboring country through the Red Bridge border checkpoint.

Law enforcement officers, during a detailed inspection of the cargo at the Batumi Free Industrial Zone, discovered 250 kilograms of heroin, packaged in 2,907 hidden packets, concealed inside packages of wet wipes.

During further investigative actions, police also seized two additional packets of heroin from one of the suspects’ residences.

The police operation was carried out by officers of the Central Criminal Police Department in cooperation with the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Customs Department of the Revenue Service under the Ministry of Finance.

“Together with other relevant agencies, we continue to actively carry out complex operations aimed at identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in drug-related crimes. This successful police operation once again confirms that our country’s law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources and professionalism to detect and prevent such crimes. I would like to express my special gratitude to all the police officers and customs department employees who took part in uncovering this crime”, he concluded.