The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) arrested 77 individuals for drug-related crimes, including 23 drug dealers. Those detainees are citizens of Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, India and Nigeria, said the Director of the Central Criminal Police Department, Teimuraz Kupatadze, at the briefing.

“As a result of a complex investigation carried out by the employees of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, transnational organized crime was exposed.

In particular, up to 52 kilograms of “cocaine” drug secretly placed in a sea container loaded with bananas, which was being transported from Ecuador to Europe through Georgia, was seized.

In the mentioned criminal case, operational and investigative activities are in progress to identify and arrest members of the organized criminal group involved in the mentioned drug trafficking,” he said.

According to Teimuraz Kupatadze, law enforcers seized and neutralized one of the large Internet drug sale stores, supplying more than 50 per cent of the so-called black market.

“Now arrested citizen of Georgia born in 1963 managed the store that was selling large amounts of narcotic drugs by placing method.

Twenty-seven thousand pieces of narcotic drug “Ecstasy” pills, with a total weight of 12 (twelve) kilograms, and 10 (ten) kilograms of narcotic drug “Mdma” were seized,” he said.

Teimuraz Kupatadze added that a large and especially large amount of narcotics and psychotropic drugs were seized as evidence from the locations indicated by the detainees, as well as during the search of the detainees’ residential places and their vehicles.

The MIA also seized cash allegedly obtained from drug sales.

The investigation is being conducted under Articles 260 and 262 of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The arrested individuals face up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.