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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Douglas Barrie

Scots cops seize £25m worth of heroin, cocaine and cannabis off streets in huge crackdown

Officers have seized around £25 million worth of controlled drugs in the last three months, according to Police Scotland's latest quarterly Performance Report.

The figures, published by the Scottish Police Authority on Friday, also reveal millions of pounds in laundered cash was recovered and 77 people were arrested in the last quarter as part of a focus on disrupting serious organised crime.

The latest Management Information, also published on Friday, reported 43 serious crime prevention orders had been granted and 12 serious organised crime groups were disrupted.

It also revealed that in July four people from Glasgow were sentenced to a total of 32 years in prison after being found guilty of being involved in serious organised crime.

Operation Shoreditch targeted an international crime group, based in the west of Scotland, alleged to have been involved in laundering millions of pounds of cash.

Three and a half tonnes of drugs, believed to be cannabis worth around £20 million, was also recovered.

A total of 11 men have been arrested and charged in connection with the find and reported to the procurator fiscal.

More than 20 people from across Glasgow and Lanarkshire were arrested and charged after heroin with a street value of almost £1.5 million was recovered as part of Operation Demolish.

Another operation in Glasgow, Operation Track, resulted in 46 people being arrested, with officers also seizing £280,000 of cash and drugs including heroin, cocaine and cannabis.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: "Tackling serious organised crime remains one of our key priorities.

"Our Performance Report describes how we are continuing to make progress and have an impact on those involved.

"By working with a wide range of partners, such as colleagues in the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, we are absolutely committed to keeping our communities safe by disrupting the activities of these groups.

"This report also sets out our work as part of the Scottish Government's Drug Death Taskforce to seek long-term, sustainable solutions to the complex issues behind substance misuse, which will not be tackled by enforcement action alone."

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