# 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. - Confidential - Georgian · English · Russian - Free first consultation - Courts of all instances 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 ActBasicAggravated / especially large amountSale (260³): marijuana or psychotropic5–10 yearsAggravated: 6–12 years; especially large amount: 12–17 yearsSale (260³): other narcotic drugs12–20 years or lifeAggravated: 14–20 years or life; especially large amount: 16–20 years or lifeFree transfer (260²): marijuana3–8 yearsAggravated: 6–10 years; especially large amount: 7–12 yearsFree transfer (260²): psychotropic3–6 yearsAggravated: 5–9 years; especially large amount: 10–14 yearsFree transfer (260²): other narcotic drugs10–15 yearsAggravated: 12–17 years; especially large amount: 14–20 years or lifeAssisting a sale (260⁴)Same as saleSame 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 - Challenging pre-trial detention ## 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 - [Criminal Code of Georgia](https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/16426) - [Law of Georgia on Combating Drug Crime](https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/22132) Official texts (in Georgian) — Legislative Herald of Georgia, matsne.gov.ge. ## Related topics - [#Criminal law](https://mmlaw.ge/en/criminal-defense-lawyer/) - [#Your rights](https://mmlaw.ge/en/blog/what-to-do-if-detained/) - - [Criminal defence lawyer](https://mmlaw.ge/en/criminal-defense-lawyer/) - - [Cybercrime lawyer](https://mmlaw.ge/en/cybercrime-lawyer/) - - [Juvenile lawyer in Georgia: legal help for minors](https://mmlaw.ge/en/juvenile-justice-lawyer/) - - [Detained in Georgia? 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