The Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested 77 people for drug-related crimes, 23 including drug dealers. The relevant statement the Director of the Central Criminal Police Department of the MIA made at today’s briefing.

“As a result of complex operative measures 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 in order to identify and arrest members of the organized criminal group involved in the mentioned drug trafficking.

Herewith, as a result of operational and investigative actions, law enforcement officers seized and neutralized one of the large Internet drug sale stores, supplying more than 50 percent of the so-called black market.

The aforementioned store was managed by a citizen of Georgia born in 1963 who was arrested by us and was selling a particularly large amount of narcotic drugs by placing method. 27 thousand pieces of narcotic drug “Ecstasy” pills - with a total weight of 12 (twelve) kilograms and 10 (ten) kilograms of narcotic drug “Mdma” was seized.

As a result of operational measures and investigative actions carried out by the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the General Prosecutor’s Office, 77 people have been arrested for drug crimes, including 23 drug dealers.

Citizens of Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, India and Nigeria are detained.

On the basis of the judge"s ruling, the police made control purchases of drugs from persons arrested on charges of illegal selling of drugs several times and secretly audio-video recorded these purchases.

From the locations indicated by the detainees, as well as during the search of the detainees" residential places and their vehicles, a large and especially large amount of narcotics and psychotropic drugs were seized as evidence:

Heroin, Cocaine, MDMA, Alpha PVP, Methamphetamine, Methadone, Hashish and psychotropic substances.

The police also seized a large amount of cash from the defendants as evidence, allegedly obtained from the sale of drugs.

The investigation is being conducted under Articles 260 and 262 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

The committed crimes envision up to 20 years or life imprisonment”, - said Teimuraz Kupatadze.