Drug dealing charges in Georgia — Articles 260²–260⁴
Since the 2025 reform, drug dealing has moved out of Article 260 into separate articles: free transfer (260²), sale (260³) and assisting a sale (260⁴). The penalty depends on the substance and the amount — and can reach life imprisonment. In these cases you need a lawyer from the first minute.
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Article 260 now covers only obtaining and keeping. Dealing has its own penalties — lighter for marijuana and psychotropic substances, much heavier for other narcotic drugs. Assisting a sale, such as packaging or acting as a go-between, is punished like the sale itself.
Besides the sentence, a person convicted of a drug crime loses rights: a dealer for 15 years, and the right to medical and pharmaceutical work for 20 years (Law on Combating Drug Crime, Article 3). A plea agreement can shorten or cancel this.
Penalties
| Act | Basic | Aggravated / especially large amount |
|---|---|---|
| Sale (260³): marijuana or psychotropic | 5–10 years | Aggravated: 6–12 years; especially large amount: 12–17 years |
| Sale (260³): other narcotic drugs | 12–20 years or life | Aggravated: 14–20 years or life; especially large amount: 16–20 years or life |
| Free transfer (260²): marijuana | 3–8 years | Aggravated: 6–10 years; especially large amount: 7–12 years |
| Free transfer (260²): psychotropic | 3–6 years | Aggravated: 5–9 years; especially large amount: 10–14 years |
| Free transfer (260²): other narcotic drugs | 10–15 years | Aggravated: 12–17 years; especially large amount: 14–20 years or life |
| Assisting a sale (260⁴) | Same as sale | Same as sale |
Our services
- Defence against dealing charges
- Keeping or dealing — the right classification
- Checking covert investigative actions and controlled purchases
- Checking the forensic examination and amount
- Plea agreements and restoring rights
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Questions & answers
I gave some to a friend for free — is that dealing?
Free transfer is a separate crime (Article 260²) — 3 to 8 years for marijuana, 10 to 15 years for other narcotic drugs.
How is keeping different from dealing?
Keeping falls under Article 260 and is punished less severely; for dealing, the prosecution must prove a sale or transfer. That is often the key issue for the defence.
What rights does a convicted person lose?
A dealer loses the listed rights for 15 years, and medical and pharmaceutical work for 20 years. A plea agreement can reduce this.
Legal basis
Official texts (in Georgian) — Legislative Herald of Georgia, matsne.gov.ge.
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