U.S. Embassy in Georgia

Last week, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) offices at U.S. Embassy Tbilisi and U.S. Embassy Kiev, an international operation successfully seized 368kg (811 pounds) of heroin.  The operation was conducted on Ukrainian territory in cooperation with Armenian, Georgian, and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and had been in the works for eight months.

Drug traffickers attempted to transport $24 million worth of heroin from Iran to Ukraine via Georgia and Armenia, hidden in commercial cargo, with the intent to sell the drugs in central Europe.  Two Turkish nationals were arrested in Ukraine on July 22 and are facing 12 years imprisonment on related charges.