The Ministry of Internal Affairs also released a 16-second covert video recording which, according to the ministry, reliably confirms the fact of “drug distribution by Nodar Chachua.” The agency added that the accused’s wife, Lali Beria, was also present.
According to the ministry’s statement, procedural and investigative actions in the case were conducted in strict compliance with the law, and the charges brought against the couple are substantiated by the totality of the collected evidence, including covert audio and video recordings.
“During a personal search, which was recorded on video by police officers, Lali Beria informed law enforcement officers that she had stored narcotic drugs in an apartment on Gamrekeli Street and voluntarily indicated their exact location.
As a result of the search of Nodar Chachua and Lali Beria’s apartment, law enforcement officers seized as material evidence the narcotic drugs ‘cocaine,’ ‘methadone,’ ‘MDMA,’ ‘alpha-PVP,’ and the psychotropic substance ‘ketamine.’
In the same apartment, items and packaging materials intended for packaging drugs were discovered and seized, including electronic scales, glass flasks, and adhesive tape.
Nodar Chachua has been charged with the illegal acquisition, possession, and distribution of narcotic drugs, as well as the illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances by a group of persons following prior conspiracy.
As for Lali Beria, she is charged with the illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances by a group of persons following prior conspiracy,” the statement by the Ministry of Internal Affairs reads.
As a reminder, it was previously reported that Nodar Chachua sent a letter from custody in which he claimed that police officers were pressuring members of his family. According to the journalist, in an effort to “justify” the legality of his arrest, security forces pressured his wife, Lali Beria, compelling her to confirm that she purportedly knew about the “5 grams of an illicit substance” seized during the search.
The former Georgian Public Broadcaster journalist also alleged threats and intimidation by criminal police officers at the very moment of his arrest. According to him, law enforcement officers demanded that he name other individuals involved and testify against them.
Earlier today, it was also revealed that Nodar Chachua’s wife had entered into a plea agreement with the investigation.
“Within the framework of this criminal case, Lali Beria fully admitted guilt and showed remorse for her actions, after which a procedural agreement was reached with her on the following terms: 6 months of imprisonment to be served in a penitentiary institution, a 3-year probationary sentence, and a fine of 3,000 GEL,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
