“Following police operations conducted by law enforcement officers in Tbilisi and the regions, 88 people have been arrested on drug offences,” stated Deputy Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze at a briefing held at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

As noted at the briefing, the offences carry sentences of up to 20 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment.

“Over the past 24 hours, as a result of police operations conducted by law enforcement officers in Tbilisi and the regions, an unprecedented number, 88 drug dealers and persons involved in drug offences, have been arrested.

Particularly large quantities of various types of narcotic and psychotropic substances have been seized, along with firearms and automatic firearms, and, presumably, money obtained from the illegal sale of drugs. Among those arrested are both Georgian and foreign nationals.

Evidence obtained as a result of intensive investigative actions conducted by law enforcement officers establishes that the arrested drug dealers were systematically selling narcotic substances to citizens.
Following controlled drug purchases carried out by police based on a judge’s order, as well as searches of the accused persons, their vehicles, and residential premises at locations indicated by the accused, particularly large quantities of various types of narcotic substances were seized as evidence, including ‘cocaine’, ‘heroin’, ‘alpha-PVP’, ‘buprenorphine’, ‘methadone’, ‘morphine’, ‘MDMA’, and dried ‘marijuana’.

The investigative actions also resulted in the seizure of materials necessary for packaging narcotic substances.

The investigation is being conducted under Articles 236, 260, 260 ter, 260 quater, 261, and 265 prima of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which provide for sentences of up to 20 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment.

It should be noted that, as a result of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ fight against drug crime, over the last 7 months of 2025, more than 5,000 people were arrested and brought to criminal responsibility for drug offences across Georgia, including nearly 2,000 persons involved in drug dealing.

Staff of various divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia continue to conduct comprehensive measures against drug crime permanently throughout the country. We remind the public that anyone who endangers the lives and health of our citizens, particularly young people, will be punished to the full extent of the law,” Darakhvelidze stated.