Firearms, ammo, and body armour seized in Georgia-wide police raids

A large cache of illegal firearms and ammunition has been seized in Georgia following a two-day special operation carried out by law enforcement agencies in Tbilisi and several other regions.

The operation was conducted as part of coordinated operational-search measures and investigative actions, according to a statement published on the official website of the Georgian Interior Ministry on August 2, quoted by Georgian media.

Acting on court orders, authorities detained multiple individuals in connection with the case. Some of those arrested have prior criminal convictions, the ministry confirmed.

During the course of the operation, law enforcement officers carried out extensive searches of the suspects’ residences, utility buildings, vehicles, and personal belongings. As a result, they confiscated a variety of illegally held firearms, including automatic weapons, along with ammunition, magazines, cartridges, and body armour, which were collected and logged as material evidence.

The Interior Ministry has launched a criminal investigation under the article addressing the illegal acquisition, storage, carrying, manufacture, transportation, transfer, or use of firearms—excluding hunting smoothbore shotguns—ammunition, explosives, or explosive devices. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of up to seven years.

By Tamilla Hasanova