Journalists Found Signs of an Organized Crime Group Recruiting Couriers. An investigation into the deaths of two Moldovan citizens in Georgian hotels, five days apart, uncovered what appears to be a systematic scheme for drawing young people into drug trafficking.
Journalists from the Mlive portal established that both of the deceased had traveled to Georgia after being recruited in Moldova, and that both deaths occurred under almost identical circumstances.
Two Deaths, One Pattern
In late February and early March 2026, two Moldovan citizens aged 20 and 29 died under similar circumstances in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
The body of the 20-year-old Moldovan was found in a hotel in Tbilisi after a worried “employer” from Moldovarepeatedly asked the administrator to check on the guest.
In the second case, the young man managed to send his sister a message saying that his condition had sharply worsened, that “everything was going dark before his eyes,” and that he was scared. After that, contact with him was lost. Volunteers in Georgia later found him dead.
Recruited in Moldova
Reporters found that the two men were linked not only by the same route of travel, but also by the circumstances of their trip.
According to the publication, both were recruited while still in Moldova. Their handlers — reportedly young people under the age of 25 — paid for their foreign passports, bought one-way tickets, and booked hotel rooms for them.
Immediately after arrival, the “couriers” were told to contact local coordinators, after which they were sent on their first assignment.
Complaints Before Death
Before dying, both men complained to relatives that they had lost their documents and money, and also reported a sudden deterioration in their health.
In the first case, the hotel administrator noted that the victim had been breathing strangely a few hours before his death.
In the second case, contact was cut off immediately after the message about “darkness in his eyes.”
Evidence Handed to the Authorities
The Mlive editorial team says it has handed the collected evidence — including handlers’ phone numbers, bank cards, crypto wallets, geolocation data, and the routes taken on the victims’ last day — to the General Police Inspectorate, the Information and Security Service, and the Supreme Security Council under the President of Moldova.
Possible Human Trafficking
Lawyers interviewed by Mlive say that, in addition to the article on incitement to suicide (Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Georgia), the actions of the organizers may also show signs of human trafficking.
The scheme involving a one-way ticket, total control through handlers, and the loss of documents strongly resembles what is often described as “21st-century slavery,” in which people are forcibly kept in criminal dependence.
More Cases May Exist
At present, criminal cases have been opened in Georgia in connection with both deaths. The bodies of the deceased were returned home a month later.
Journalists also report that there may be at least two more similar cases involving the deaths of Moldovans. The details are still being established
