Simon Rovensky, a 22-year-old student from Vancouver, has spent nearly two months in Georgia’s Gldani Prison after customs officers at Tbilisi’s airport found a bottle of his prescribed ADHD medication and refused to accept his pharmacy receipt as a prescription. He is now charged with large-scale smuggling and faces up to 20 years in prison, his sister told CBC News on June 9.
His sister Nika Rovensky said Simon was visiting Georgia with a friend when he was stopped at the airport around a month before the CBC report. The two young men were held for seven hours, then separated, and the family lost contact with Simon for 48 hours. Prosecutors later confirmed his detention, citing his failure to present the required documentation, according to OC Media.
What Happened at the Georgian Airport
Around a month before the June 9 CBC report, Simon Rovensky, 22, was carrying his prescribed Adderall in an orange pharmacy bottle labeled with his doctor’s name when he arrived in Georgia for what his family describes as a vacation stop. He and a friend had planned to visit several countries together. The family says he had a pharmacy receipt for the medication, but not the prescription itself.
Customs officers in Tbilisi held Simon and his friend for seven hours of questioning before separating them. The friend’s phone was confiscated, and Simon was not allowed to call his family. He was then transferred to Gldani Prison, north of the capital.
For the next 48 hours, his family had no way of reaching him. Nika told CBC’s Hanomansing Tonight that she had no idea whether her brother was being hurt or where in the country he was. “It was obviously extremely scary for our whole family,” she said. By the time the family located a lawyer and learned a preliminary hearing would take place the following day, Simon had already been charged.
The Charges and the Sentence Simon Now Faces
At his preliminary hearing, Simon was charged with two offences: large-scale smuggling and the illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic substances, according to the family fundraiser that breaks down the sentence and fine. Under Georgian law, those charges carry a sentence of 8 to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors told the family the case would proceed even after the prescription was sent to Georgian authorities, because Simon did not have the document when he was stopped.
Simon’s lawyer has estimated the official fine a court could impose at between US$30,000 and US$45,000. Legal representation alone is costing the family US$7,000. Under what the lawyer described as an “established practice” in cases involving foreign nationals, paying the court-ordered fine could lead to Simon’s release and deportation to Canada.
“Him just travelling and not thinking twice about [the prescription], you know, it was his mistake,” Nika told CBC. “But what happened next was just insane. Like the fact that he’s looking … at 12 to 20 years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars as a fine is completely crazy.”
Simon’s next court date is June 25, 2026, the GoFundMe text says, “nearly two months after his arrest.” The page describes that hearing as a sentencing hearing, though Simon has not been convicted.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Age | 22 |
| Detention site | Gldani Prison, Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Charges | Large-scale smuggling; illegal acquisition and possession of narcotic substances |
| Sentence range | 8 to 20 years in prison |
| Lawyer-estimated fine | US$30,000 to US$45,000 |
| Legal fees | US$7,000 |
| Next court date | June 25, 2026 |
| Time held so far | Nearly two months |
A Month in Pretrial Detention at Gldani
Simon is being held in pretrial detention at Gldani Prison, a facility north of the Georgian capital that the European Court of Human Rights found to have been the site of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners until 2012. According to the GoFundMe page, he shares a cell with five other convicted inmates. He is allowed 30 minutes of outdoor exercise per day, 15 minutes of in-person visits per week, and one hour of phone calls per month. Visits from friends are prohibited.
Nika told CityNews Vancouver that her brother spends 23 hours a day in a six-person cell and that his mental state is “rapidly deteriorating.” She said the family feels “really let down by the government” over Canada’s response, and that her mother was recently hospitalized with stress over the ordeal. The GoFundMe notes that no family members are nearby to visit or support him in Georgia.
- Cell shared with five other inmates
- 30 minutes of outdoor exercise per day
- 15 minutes of in-person visits per week
- One hour of phone calls per month
- No visits from friends
- 23 hours per day confined to the cell
The Georgian Law That Turns a Prescription Into a Smuggling Charge
Adderall contains amphetamines, which Georgian law lists as “narcotic drugs of the highest medical and social risks,” according to CBC. The same broad classification covers a wide range of common medications, including opioid painkillers and certain antidepressants. Georgia’s Interior Ministry, in a statement to OC Media, said any traveller bringing in such drugs must present a stamped English-language prescription, a certificate from the prescribing physician, and a customs declaration.
Under the rules the family describes on the GoFundMe page, only a one-month supply of these medications may be imported, and the prescription must be translated into Georgian. Simon did not have the prescription with him, and the receipt he did have was not accepted. Canada’s travel advisory for Georgia, on the country advisory page for Georgia, notes only that Georgian authorities “strictly regulate the possession and import of prescription medication under special control, including narcotic drugs and…”
Nika warned that the same rules could catch other Canadians carrying routine prescriptions. “This isn’t just for ADHD medication, it’s for your pain medication, for your SSRIs, which you know so many people are taking,” she told CityNews. In Georgia, the broader debate over ADHD treatment has also surfaced: a Georgian narcologist, Zurab Sikharulidze of the opposition Federalists party, told Civil Georgia that the country’s rules make both ADHD diagnosis and treatment “problematic,” and that doctors face the threat of license revocation or criminal liability for prescribing psychoactive medications.
Him just travelling and not thinking twice about [the prescription], you know, it was his mistake. But what happened next was just insane. Like the fact that he’s looking … at 12 to 20 years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars as a fine is completely crazy.
That quote came from Nika Rovensky, Simon’s sister, speaking to CBC News on June 5, 2026.
Why the Family Says Canada Has Left Them to Handle the Case Alone
The family says the response from Global Affairs Canada has been slow and limited. A spokesperson for the department told CBC that consular officials are providing assistance and are in contact with local authorities, but added that no further information can be disclosed “due to privacy considerations.” Nika claims it took consular officials over two weeks to conduct a wellness check on her brother.
By the time that check happened, the family had already retained a lawyer. The GoFundMe text, written by Nika, says Simon’s mother reached out to the Canadian embassy for help and was told it could not intervene in judicial proceedings. The family says it has been left to handle the Georgian legal system largely on its own. Nika told CityNews the family feels “really let down by the government.”
She also said the experience has placed enormous strain on a family already under pressure. Nika is studying for finals while running the campaign. Her mother is raising three children on her own in the Lower Mainland after the children’s father died when Simon was 10. Simon is the eldest of three siblings and the only male member of the household. “I think we all kind of hope that our government is there to protect us in these situations,” Nika told CityNews. “His mental state isn’t good. It’s rapidly deteriorating, I would say.”
Nika also argues the travel advisory buries the warning about medications. “If there’s something as commonly prescribed as Adderall in Canada that can get you 20 years in prison in a foreign country, that should be the first thing that you read about in a travel advisory,” Nika told CityNews. “That should be top of the page in bright red letters.”
The Culley Plea Deal and Simon’s June 25 Hearing
The most prominent recent parallel in Georgian courts is the case of Bella Culley, a 19-year-old British citizen arrested in May 2025 on charges of importing roughly 11 kilogrammes of cannabis and two kilogrammes of hashish from Thailand. In November 2025, the Tbilisi City Court released Culley through a plea agreement after her family paid a $185,000 fine, according to OC Media. Her case illustrates the “established practice” Simon’s lawyer described: a guilty plea plus a court-ordered fine can open the door to release and deportation.
The structure is similar in outline to the path the Rovensky family is now trying to follow, though the fine estimate in Simon’s case is several times smaller than the one paid in the Culley case. Simon’s next hearing is June 25, 2026, the GoFundMe says, and the family is raising money to cover both legal fees and the lawyer-estimated fine. Their stated goal is to pay the court-ordered fine in exchange for Simon’s release and a flight back to Vancouver, rather than years inside Gldani.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Georgian law say about importing prescription amphetamines?
Amphetamines, the active ingredient in Adderall, are classified in Georgia as “narcotic drugs of the highest medical and social risks,” CBC reports, citing the country’s drug code. Travellers may bring in a one-month supply only, with a prescription translated into Georgian and a customs declaration. Possession of larger quantities, or any quantity without the required documentation, can be charged as large-scale smuggling and punished with 8 to 20 years in prison.
How much of a prescription medication can travellers bring into Georgia?
A one-month supply, with a prescription translated into Georgian and a customs declaration, according to the family’s GoFundMe description of the rules. The Georgian Interior Ministry also requires a stamped English-language prescription and a certificate from the prescribing physician, OC Media reports. Anything more, or anything not properly documented, exposes a traveller to criminal prosecution.
What is Global Affairs Canada doing for Simon Rovensky?
Global Affairs Canada has confirmed it is aware of a Canadian citizen arrested in Georgia and says consular officials are providing assistance and are in contact with local authorities. The family says consular officials took over two weeks to conduct a wellness check and that the Canadian embassy told Simon’s mother it could not intervene in judicial proceedings. The family is asking for stronger help in securing his release.
When is Simon Rovensky’s next court date?
June 25, 2026, according to the GoFundMe campaign the family is running. The hearing is described as taking place “nearly two months after his arrest.” The family has not always labelled it a sentencing hearing in public statements, but their stated goal is to pay a court-ordered fine in exchange for Simon’s release and deportation to Canada.
What happened to Bella Culley, the British teen detained in Georgia?
Bella Culley, then 19, was arrested in Georgia in May 2025 on charges of importing roughly 11 kilogrammes of cannabis and two kilogrammes of hashish from Thailand, OC Media reports. In November 2025, the Tbilisi City Court released her through a plea agreement, with her family paying a 500,000-lari fine that international outlets valued at around $185,000. Her case set out the very “established practice” Simon’s lawyer described: plead, pay, go home.
