Matthew Roy Desmond, a British citizen and war veteran who had been detained in Georgia for nearly three months over painkillers classified under Georgian law as illegal drugs and psychotropic substances, reached a plea deal under which he paid a GEL 100,000 (about $38,000) fine and will be expelled from the country and banned from re-entering for 20 years.
According to RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, the plea agreement was approved by Tbilisi City Court on July 16, and Desmond is expected to be expelled from the country on July 17. Citing his lawyers, the outlet reported that Desmond pleaded guilty to the charges — which carried a sentence of eight to twelve years in jail — only as a formal step to reach the agreement and secure his release, as he was reportedly suffering from severe pain while held at Tbilisi’s Gldani prison.
The 49-year-old British war veteran was arrested in late April after attempting to enter Georgia from Turkey by land on his motorbike. His lawyers said he was carrying painkillers, including pregabalin, buprenorphine and codeine, to treat a chronic spinal injury. According to them, Desmond had travelled to 25 countries on his motorbike with this medication without any problems, as he had a doctor’s prescription. However, they said he failed to complete several required formalities under Georgian regulations, including notarizing and apostilling the prescription, which led to his detention.
They said 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 remained in custody.
Prosecutors told Interpressnews that Desmond had not presented “any medical certificate” proving that the medications, which are classified as illegal drugs and psychotropic substances in Georgia, had been prescribed by a doctor.
Desmond’s case is the latest involving foreign travelers detained and released after paying hefty fines over prescription medications that are legal abroad but restricted or banned in Georgia. In June, Canadian student Simon Rovensky, 22, 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.
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