Georgian Police arrest 84 on drug-related charges, seize large quantities of narcotics, firearms, ammunition

Director of the Central Criminal Police Department Davit Kiknadze on Wednesday reported that a total of 84 people have been arrested on drug-related charges and large quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances, as well as firearms and ammunition, have been seized as a result of operational measures and investigative actions conducted across the country.

In his remarks at the briefing, Kiknadze noted that the relevant units of the Interior Ministry continued the fight against drug-related crimes on a daily and continuous basis, saying that those detained include both Georgian and foreign citizens.

He highlighted that, based on court orders, police carried out a number of covert investigative actions to uncover drug-related crimes and expose the accused, establishing that the detained drug dealers had been systematically selling narcotics to citizens using various methods.

Law enforcement officers also conducted multiple controlled drug purchases and secretly recorded audio and video footage of those transactions.

During searches of the suspects, their homes and vehicles, as well as from locations identified by them, police seized particularly large quantities of various narcotic substances, including Heroin, Cocaine, Methadone, Buprenorphine, Cannabis and others, as evidence.

Investigators also seized materials used for packaging narcotics and cash allegedly obtained from drug trafficking.

Kiknadze added that, within the framework of the police operation, law enforcement also prevented the illegal import of particularly large quantities of narcotics into the country.

He said officers of the Central Criminal Police Department and the Customs Department of the Revenue Service under the Ministry of Finance of Georgia detained a citizen of Ukraine at Tbilisi International Airport, from whom more than 2,500 tablets containing Buprenorphine were seized during a personal search.

The investigation is underway under Articles 260, 260-ter, 260-quater, 261, 262, 265-prima and 236 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carry penalties of up to 20 years or life imprisonment.

Kiknadze said combating drug-related crime remained one of the ministry’s main priorities, adding that the strictest measures provided by law will be applied against those involved in such offences.