Officers of Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, as a result of operational measures and investigative actions, detained 20 people in Tbilisi, Guria, Adjara, and Kakheti on charges of illegally purchasing and possessing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in particularly large quantities as part of an organized group acting by prior agreement, as well as facilitating their distribution. The information was released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

"Based on a court order, police carried out several controlled purchases of narcotic substances from one of the accused individuals and secretly recorded these transactions using audio and video equipment.

During searches of the detainees' personal belongings and residences, as well as locations identified by them, law enforcement officers seized particularly large quantities of narcotic substances prepared for sale, including methadone, alpha-PVP, and dried marijuana, as evidence.

The investigation established that some of the accused were illegally cultivating plants containing narcotic substances in specially equipped greenhouses on a particularly large scale.

Investigative actions also resulted in the seizure of materials used for packaging narcotic substances.

The investigation is being conducted under Articles 19-260, 260, 260 Prima, 260 Tertia, 261, 262, 265, and 273 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which carry penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment or life imprisonment," the ministry said in its statement.