POLICE IN MORAY and throughout the north east are conducting around 10 drugs raids on premises each week to “disrupt and dismantle” serious organised crime groups.
These have resulted in over £2.7million worth of drugs being seized over the last twelve months which included over 250kilos of cannabis, in excess of 15kilos of cocaine and around five kilos of heroin.
504 search warrants were executed in total, resulting in countless arrests and – most importantly – ridding communities of the unwanted effects of drugs and the associated criminal behaviour that comes with this.
Detective Superintendent Alex Dowall said: “This result is down to the hard work of officers in the Division as well as support from national resources that are available to us on a daily basis.
“Most of the accused come from out with the North East which can present various logistical challenges in targeting the right people in the right places, however, with support on our roads and rail from our colleagues in Roads Policing and British Transport Police, we are recording more and more successes.
“These criminals also don’t care how their actions affect those who live here in the North East, and they prey on the most vulnerable in our society. It won’t be tolerated which is why intercepting drugs bound for our streets and tackling Serious Organised Crime will remain a priority for North East Division and Police Scotland.
“I hope these results help reassure the public that we are doing everything in our power to tackle the sale and supply of illegal substances, however we must never be complacent when it comes to tackling this issue.
“Enforcement is just one key part of this strategy however I also cannot stress enough the wider work that is done in conjunction with our partners to ensure there is a holistic approach to substance abuse. It is also crucial to identify the people who will engage with us so we can divert them away from this type of activity, in particular the young and more impressionable.
“If you think you can get away with dealing drugs and bringing misery to our communities, think again. We can’t do this on our own though and will continue to rely on intelligence from members of the public to identify and target the properties and people who pose most risk.
“If you have concerns or information please contact Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 to remain anonymous.”
The figures relate to the period from January 2016 to December 2016 in Moray and Aberdeenshire, and the period from April 2016 to March 2017 in Aberdeen.