Georgian Interior Ministry, Prosecutor's Office solve transnational illegal drug-dealing crime

Georgian Interior Ministry, together with the Prosecutor’s Office solved a transnational crime involving drug-dealing scheme, identified dozens of members of the criminal group and arrested 22 individuals, Teimuraz Kupatadze, the head of the Central Criminal Police department said on Thursday at the press briefing.

Kupatadze said citizens of Georgia, Bulgaria and Turkey were among those detained and noted that as a result of police operation carried out in in the Black Sea coastline region of Adjara, three leaders of the organised crime group have been charged on Tuesday in absentia.

He added practising lawyers, identified only through their initials, who have been managing the bank accounts of the organised crime group, converting the money into foreign currency and transferring them to the accounts of persons involved in the illegal drug dealing, were among the arrested. 

As the investigation established, the organised crime group illegally imported large amounts of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, buprenorphine, methadone, methamphetamine, amphetamine and mdma, into Georgia.

The offenders placed drugs in different spots, with intention of delivery to buyers, and laundered the illegally obtained money.

The law enforcement had seized a large amount of various types of narcotics, vehicles, firearms and ammunition during the personal search and search of residential houses as part of the arrests.

Computer equipment and mobile phones used for communication between the group were also seized.

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