The Army is reportedly facing its "biggest-ever drugs scandal" after 19 soldiers allegedly tested positive for cocaine and cannabis.
A Sun source claims it has sent "shockwaves" through the Armed Forces and is "off the scale" compared to other drugs busts.
Soldiers based at the 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment were discovered to be taking drugs at home and at the barracks, reports the Mirror.
It is thought to be the biggest drugs cases to hit the Army.
One source said: “This is off the scale, it has sent shockwaves through the Army. Nineteen in one round of testing is a large number and raises very serious questions.
“Before lockdown, the regiment were being tested every few weeks but this latest round was the first for quite a long time.”
Officers are said to be "furious" with what has happened with boredom thought to be the reason behind the scandal.
Most of the soldiers involved are of private rank while more than one were lance corporals, it is reported.
The Sun source suggested that the drug taking appeared to have become a regular part of the soldiers’ life and wasn’t a one-off.
They claimed that they were not “individual” cases or “one wild night out”.
The soldiers were based at Alma Lines in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, where it is alleged that soldiers have been complaining of boredom.
The 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment was formed in 2004 following Army restructuring and incorporated The Duke of Wellington’s, that was Capt Sir Tom Moore’s regiment, in its ranks.
The Army has reportedly confirmed that the soldiers from the Yorkshire Regiment failed a compulsory drugs test.
It added that drug abuse is not tolerated and that anyone taking drugs “can expect to be discharged”.
The Daily Mirror contacted the British Army for comment.
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