17 Detained in GEL 53.8 Million Psychotropic Drug Scheme Case
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, June 25, 2026
Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia has detained 17 people and opened criminal proceedings against 24 legal entities over an alleged illegal psychotropic drug trade that generated more than GEL 53.8 million between 2018 and 2025, authorities announced on June 24.
Speaking at a briefing, Deputy Head of the Division of the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Finance Guga Tavberidze said charges without detention were filed against a further 11 individuals who "cooperated with the investigation and facilitated the exposure of the large-scale criminal scheme." Three more suspects remain at large and will be placed on a wanted list.
Those charged face nine to eleven years in prison under Articles 192 and 194 of Georgia's Criminal Code, covering illegal entrepreneurial activities and money laundering, respectively.
Among the accused are former senior officials of the Regulatory Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities. Tavberidze said they had, "for years, acting in their personal interests and abusing their official powers, facilitated the operation of the criminal scheme and acted against the public interest."
According to the investigation, a network run by the heads of psychotropic medication importing companies operated across the country from 2018 to 2025, fuelling widespread "prescription drug addiction." To disguise the operation, medications were documented under fictitious pharmaceutical companies pre-registered to affiliated individuals, then sold "without any prescriptions and relevant permits at substantially inflated prices throughout the country in facilities that did not possess pharmacy status."
Proceeds totalling GEL 53,833,723 were laundered by being "disguised as salaries and dividends," Tavberidze said. The accused also acquired significant real estate and movable properties, all of which have been frozen and will be used to compensate for damages.
Authorities warned of a continued crackdown on prescription drug abuse in the country.
