Knock, knock, this is the drugs squad

Published on Monday 2 March 2009 21:21

TWENTY people have been arrested across Aberdeen in the biggest crackdown against street-level dealers in Scotland's heroin and crack cocaine capital.

Grampian Police said the "large-scale, intelligence-led" operation was launched yesterday, with more than 25 warrants executed by "strike teams". Money and controlled drugs – including heroin and crack cocaine – were seized as an initial result of the operation.

A special court sitting has been arranged to handle the large number of expected arrests. The force said "Operation Lochnagar" was aimed at ending the scourge of class A drug trafficking, which has blighted many areas of the city for more than a decade, and turn them into "no-go" areas for dealers.

Last year there were 42 drug-related deaths across the force area and about 2.5kg of class A drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine, have been seized by the force this year.

The blitz on drug dealers began as more than 150 officers stormed 12 business and residential addresses in the Northfield, Seaton, Old Aberdeen, Mount-hooly and Bucksburn areas, in an operation based on months of intelligence-gathering.

Assistant Chief Constable, Colin Menzies stressed that the raids were only the start of a sustained initiative in the city, primarily directed against heroin and crack cocaine.

In the second phase of the operation – aimed at making targeted areas of the city a "hostile environment" for dealers – uniformed officers moved into the Tillydrone area of the city yesterday afternoon, as high-visibility patrols are used to reinforce the determination of Grampian Police to drive drug trafficking from the streets of blighted communities.

Mr Menzies said: "Our aim, for sure, is to make arrests and to take some drug dealers off the streets.

"But really what we are aiming to achieve here is to put some of our communities in Aberdeen back on the road to recovery.

"There are some communities where individuals cause havoc on a daily basis by selling street quantities of drugs. We know that there are good, law-abiding people in those communities and what they need is a bit of space, a bit of freedom and a bit to room to breathe, where they can think where they are going as a community.

"We hope in that gap they will see that there is some real positive hope for the future and seize that opportunity."

He pointed out that a major operation in Moray last year had seen Elgin becoming a "no-go area" for drug dealing.

Mr Menzies continued: "I think it is all of our responsibility in the community here in Grampian for the whole area to become recognised as being not a place where drug activity happens. Whether we like it or not, we are now associated closely with the drugs trade and we want to start reversing that."

Detective Superintendent Campbell Thomson, who led yesterday's crackdown, said: "So far, 20 individuals have been taken into custody and quantities of money, controlled drugs – including heroin and crack cocaine – were seized.

"A number of reports have been submitted to the procurator-fiscal."

He added: "I am encouraged by the early success of this operation and very proud of the considerable efforts made by officers.

"This will have a significant impact on the availability of drugs – particularly class A drugs – on the streets of Aberdeen. Grampian Police will not tolerate those who seek to profit from this evil trade."