The Ministry of Internal Affairs has conducted a nationwide police operation over the past 24 hours, during which 42 people have been arrested on drug charges.

As Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said at the briefing today, most of them are large-scale drug dealers, while some are accused of illegal purchase and storage of large quantities of drugs.

"The drug traffickers were arrested by the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the Prosecutor General's Office, as a result of operational, investigative and procedural measures carried out in Tbilisi and the regions. Among the detainees are both Georgian and foreign citizens.

The evidence obtained as a result of covert investigative actions conducted on the basis of a judge's ruling, namely audio and video recordings, confirmed that the majority of the detainees were involved in a drug trafficking scheme. The drug traffickers used an Internet application to place narcotics in specific places for the purpose of subsequent sale, and they sent information about this to persons interested in purchasing drugs. It is also established that the detainees obtained narcotics in various ways.

Law enforcement officers seized a particularly large amount of various types of narcotics, which was planned to be sold on the so-called black market. The following was seized: Heroin, Cocaine, Alpha PVP, Buprenorphine, Suboxone, Methadone, Ketamine, Mephedrone, MDMA",Marijuana, etc.. The crimes committed by the defendants are punishable by up to 20 years or life imprisonment. The goal of each employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to protect society from the harmful effects of drugs and identify all those involved in the criminal scheme," Darakhvelidze said.