Five individuals have been detained in the Georgian coastal city of Batumi for extorting tourists, the Georgian Interior Ministry stated today.
The ministry says that the detainees forced tourists to pay money for meals they had not ordered, or pay larger sums than indicated on the menu in clubs.
The total amount of money extorted by the people in the two Batumi clubs [from eight tourists] amounted to 2,100 EUR and 3,800 USD,” the ministry reported.
The crime is punishable by four to seven years in prison.