MIA arrests foreign citizen on drug charges

The Georgian Interior Ministry says police have prevented an attempt to distribute nearly four kilograms of the synthetic drug alpha-PVP in Georgia, following a series of comprehensive anti-drug operations conducted by officers of the Tbilisi Police Department.

According to the ministry, the seized drugs have an estimated value of GEL 1.5 million on the so-called black market.

A foreign national has been arrested on charges related to the attempted illegal purchase and possession of an especially large quantity of drugs, attempted illegal transportation and attempted facilitation of illegal drug distribution.

The investigation is being conducted under Articles 19-260, 19-260¹ and 19-260³ of the Criminal Code of Georgia. The charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.

According to the investigation, the suspect planned to distribute the large quantity of drugs that had allegedly been covertly sent to him from abroad. He was expected to collect the package at a parking lot in Tbilisi.

Law enforcement officers seized nearly four kilograms of alpha-PVP as evidence in one of Georgia’s regions before carrying out a controlled delivery of the package to its intended recipient.

The suspect arrived at the designated parking lot in Tbilisi to collect the package as part of the alleged criminal plan and subsequently attempted to leave the capital.

Police stopped the man as he was driving a vehicle on the outskirts of Tbilisi. During a search of the vehicle, officers seized the package and materials allegedly intended for packaging drugs, according to the Interior Ministry. The investigation is ongoing.