Drugs worth almost £5m seized my police over three months across Scotland

Almost £5m worth of drugs have been seized by police between April and June.

Cannabis, cocaine and heroin were among the illegal substances taken off the streets by officers which amount to an estimated value of £4.7m.

The amount was revealed in a Police Scotland report for the first quarter of 2022-2023.

It highlighted a number of investigations and search warrants which resulted in the recovery of high value supplies.

The seizure of £1m of cocaine from a property in Dundee was among the main operations recorded for the quarter.

Other investigations include the recovery of heroin and crack cocaine worth around £115,000 from a property in Aberdeen, the stop of a vehicle in Lanarkshire which resulted in the seizure of 2.7kg of cocaine worth around £80,000 and around 6kg of heroine and cocaine seized by road policing officers from a vehicle in North Lanarkshire.

The incidents amounted to a number of arrests which are also highlighted in the report.

Deputy chief constable Fiona Taylor QPM said: “We know the terrible toll of drugs deaths in Scotland and the action described in this performance report underlines our commitment to reducing the harm caused to individuals, families and communities.

“Policing has a vital role in preventing drugs from reaching our streets and bringing those engaged in serious and organised crime to justice and that will always be a key duty and priority for Police Scotland.”

The report is also the first since the national roll-out of Naloxone.

All officers have been trained and equipped with the nasal spray, an emergency first aid treatment for use in a potentially life-threatening overdose situation.

DCC Taylor added: “Preservation of life lies right at the heart of policing. The national roll-out of Naloxone can assist in our positive legal duty to improve the lives of our communities.”