Teimuraz Kupatadze, Internal Affairs Ministry Central Criminal Police Department director, stated that up to 52 kilograms of the narcotic drug Cocaine were secretly placed in a sea container loaded with bananas, which was being transported from Ecuador to Europe through Georgia.
The Internal Affairs Ministry announced that they have neutralized one of the large internet drug stores, which supplied more than 50% of the so-called black market.
"The Georgian citizen, born in 1963, who was arrested by us, was running a store and was also selling a particularly large amount of narcotic drugs. During the search of his personal and residential apartment, we took, as evidence from the places indicated by him, up to 4 kilograms of the narcotic drug Cocaine, 27 thousand pieces of the narcotic drug Ecstasy pills, and 10 kilograms of the narcotic drug MDMA," Kupatadze said.
The Internal Affairs Ministry reports that recently, 77 people have been arrested on charges of drug crimes throughout the country, 23 of whom are accused of selling drugs. Citizens of Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, India, and Nigeria have been detained.
The investigation is being conducted under Articles 260 and 262 of the Criminal Code, which pertain to the illegal manufacture, production, purchase, storage, transportation, forwarding, or possession of narcotic drugs, as well as the illegal importation into Georgia, illegal exportation from Georgia, or international transportation in transit. These felonies are punishable by up to 20 years or life in prison.
