TBILISI, September 18 – Prosecutors in Georgia say five people have been charged with running a large-scale illegal cannabis operation in the eastern wine region of Kakheti.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, investigators from the Ministry of Internal Affairs uncovered 1,337 cannabis plants in the village of Vakiri, part of Sighnaghi municipality. The plants weighed more than 143 kilograms in total. Officials say two additional people assisted the growers.
Searches of homes linked to the suspects turned up drying equipment, digital scales, and more than 3.3 kilograms of dried marijuana already packaged. Prosecutors allege the operation involved both cultivation and preparation for sale.
All five suspects face charges of illegally planting, growing, and cultivating cannabis in especially large quantities. Two of them were also charged with aiding the illegal purchase, storage, and sale of marijuana.
If convicted, they face prison terms of up to 20 years or life.
Georgia has some of the strictest drug laws in Europe and the South Caucasus. While the Constitutional Court decriminalized the personal use of marijuana in 2018, cultivation and distribution remain criminal offenses with heavy penalties.
