British citizen and war veteran Matthew Roy Desmond has been jailed in Georgia for nearly three months on serious drug charges after being arrested at the border with painkillers classified as illegal under Georgian law, his lawyers reported on July 8, noting that he faces eight to twelve years in prison.
According to his lawyers and a report by RFE/RL’s Georgian service, Desmond, 49, attempted to enter Georgia from Turkey by motorcycle through a land border crossing in late April. “He has traveled to around 25 countries and has never encountered any problems in any of them,” the lawyers said, adding that he was carrying a medical prescription for painkillers used to treat his chronic spinal injury, namely pregabalin, buprenorphine and codeine.
The lawyers said the prescription was not notarized and did not have an apostille, as required under local regulations, which led to his detention. They noted that they obtained the required apostille certification and official translations within weeks and submitted the documents to prosecutors and the court by the end of May. However, Desmond remains in custody at Tbilisi’s Gldani Prison while experiencing ongoing back pain.
His lawyers are seeking his release through a plea agreement, a possible route used in similar cases.
One of the lawyers said Desmond’s prescriptions were linked to a severe spinal injury sustained during his military service and that his condition has worsened in prison. “They give him painkillers periodically, every other day, which in practice relieve only about 10% of the pain, and he is in constant pain — he’s suffering… This person is extremely exhausted — when we go in to see him, he can barely walk,” the lawyer told RFE/RL’s Georgian Service.
The outlet also reported that prosecutors had opened a separate case against Desmond over the alleged use of narcotic substances in Georgia after traces of the prescribed medications were reportedly found in his urine. The defense successfully challenged the case in June after prosecutors failed to prove he had consumed the substances while in Georgia, given that he had been detained immediately upon arrival at the border.
The next court hearing is scheduled for July 13.
Desmond’s case is the latest involving foreign travelers detained over prescription medications that are legal abroad but restricted or banned in Georgia. In June, Canadian student Simon Rovensky, 22, who has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was detained after entering Georgia with Adderall, a medication used to treat the condition that is illegal under Georgian law, without carrying his prescription. He was reportedly released weeks later following a plea agreement and a GEL 30,000 (approximately USD 11,400) fine.
Also Read:
