Investigation Service of Ministry of Finance of Georgia exposed a criminal scheme involving illegal trade in psychotropic medications exceeding GEL 53 000 000, legalization of illicit income obtained by an organized criminal group, and illegal entrepreneurial activities.

“More than 1,000 investigative and procedural actions have been carried out within the framework of the case. At this stage, 17 members of the organized group have been detained, while 3 individuals currently in hiding will be put on the wanted list. In addition, 11 individuals who cooperated with the investigation and facilitated the exposure of the large-scale criminal scheme were charged without detention. Criminal prosecution has also been initiated against 24 legal entities registered in Georgia.

Among the accused are former high-ranking officials of the Regulatory Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities. Over the years, acting in their personal interests and abusing their official powers, they facilitated the operation of the criminal scheme and acted against the public interest. Investigation determined that the large-scale network, which contributed to the spread of the prescription drug addiction, operated in Georgia from 2018 to 2025. The scheme was organized by executives of companies importing psychotropic medications.

In order to mask the criminal activity, medications from the importing companies were documented in the name of fictitious pharmaceutical companies, which were pre-registered to individuals affiliated with them. In reality, the mentioned medications were sold without any prescriptions and relevant permits at substantially inflated prices throughout the country in facilities that did not possess pharmacy status.

At the current stage of the investigation, it has been determined that the income generated through the illegal trade of psychotropic medications amounted to GEL 53 833 723. In order to legalize the illicit proceeds, a substantial amount of funds was disguised as salaries and dividends. Using these financial resources, the accused individuals and others connected to them acquired a significant amount of real estate and movable properties. All identified assets have been frozen, from which the damage will be compensated in the future. In addition to causing damage to the state amounting to tens of millions GEL, members of the criminal group endangered the life and health of thousands of citizens through the illegal retail distribution of psychotropic medications.

Investigation is underway under Articles 192 and 194 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, which as a type of sentence, envisages imprisonment from 9 to 11 years.

We warn all individuals and legal entities, including owners and managers, operating in this sector: the State will act with particular strictness and remain uncompromising towards crimes that, on one hand cause damage to the state budget and increase corruption risks and on the other hand, endanger human life and health. Accordingly, intensive operative measures and continuous monitoring will continue in order to completely eliminate the phenomenon of prescription drug abuse in the country.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Security Service, and the Revenue Service for their support during the operational and investigative activities. Special thanks are extended to the Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia, together with whom and under whose supervision every investigative activity was planned within the framework of the conducted large-scale operation”.