Drug-related crimes decreased by approximately 32% in 2020 compared to 2019, the US Department of State said in the Drug and Chemical Control report.

“The Georgian government closed Georgia’s borders (except to cargo) in March 2020 to stem the spread of COVID-19. Based on the Ministry of Internal Affairs reporting, this action was the probable cause of a 66 percent decrease in drug smuggling from January to August of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019”, - reads the report.

The US Department of State noted that “potentially due to the COVID-19 crisis, domestic drug use has increased in Georgia, particularly narcotics purchased via crypto-currency on the Dark Web”.