Georgia's Interior Ministry arrests 19 for drug crimes, including six dealers

Georgia's Interior Ministry on Tuesday said law enforcement officers had arrested 19 Georgian and foreign individuals for drug crimes, including six dealers.

The investigation was conducted by the Ministry’s Central Criminal Police, Patrol Police and law enforcement officers in the capital of Tbilisi, the western Adjara, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Imereti regions, and the eastern Mtskheta-Mtianeti region together with the Prosecutor General's Office.

The Ministry said the law enforcement arrested the group involving Georgian and foreign citizens, some with past criminal records.

The body also noted the crime included illegal purchase and storage of “large and particularly large” amounts of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and illegal planting and cultivation of marijuana.

The arrests came following a judge ruling allowing controlled purchase of drugs from the offenders by the officers, and covert audio and video recording.

The seized substances include heroin, cocaine, MDMA, pregabalin, methadone, alpha PVP, buprenorphine, methamphetamine, marijuana and lyrica recovered from the arrested individuals’ houses, during their personal search and from spots referred by the offenders.

Electronic scales, adhesive tapes and a “large amount of money” allegedly obtained from sale of the drugs were also recovered.

The crimes are punishable up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.