“The Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out a nationwide police operation over the past 24 hours, resulting in the arrest of 42 individuals on drug-related charges,” Deputy Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze announced at a briefing at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).
According to the Deputy Minister, most of those detained are major drug traffickers, while some are accused of illegal purchase and storage of large quantities of narcotics.
“The drug traffickers were apprehended by officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in collaboration with the Prosecutor General’s Office, through operational, investigative, and procedural measures conducted across Tbilisi and the regions. Among those detained are both Georgian and foreign nationals.
Evidence obtained through undercover operations, authorised by a judge, including audio and video recordings, confirmed that the majority of the detainees were involved in organised drug trafficking. The traffickers employed an internet application to place narcotics at specific locations for subsequent sale, relaying information about these locations to interested buyers. It has also been established that the detainees sold narcotics through various methods.
Law enforcement seized a substantial quantity of different types of narcotics, which could have been sold on the black market. The confiscated substances include heroin, cocaine, alpha PVP, buprenorphine, suboxone, methadone, ketamine, mephedrone, MDMA, marijuana, and others,” Darakhvelidze stated.
He added that the offences committed by the accused carry penalties of up to 20 years’ imprisonment or life sentences.
“Every member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is committed to safeguarding society from the harmful effects of drugs and to identifying all those involved in these criminal enterprises,” Darakhvelidze concluded.
