Police arrest 134 in 'hammer blow' against underworld

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 20:39

MILLIONS of pounds of drugs and dozens of illegal firearms have been seized as part of a crackdown on organised crime.

Officers recovered drugs with an estimated street value of 7.9 million, 82 guns and 19 imitation firearms, and more than 295,000 in cash. They also arrested 134 people with alleged links to serious organised crime.

The seizures in September and October were part of the Break the Circle of Violence campaign run by Strathclyde Police.

The majority of drugs seized were cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis, along with smaller amounts of heroin and ecstasy.

Police say 3.3m of criminal assets were also identified for seizure, and 506 offences were reported in relation to individuals allegedly involved in serious and organised crime.

Strathclyde assistant chief constable George Hamilton said: "I am optimistic about what we have achieved so far, but I want to stress this is not just a two-month campaign for us – we are fully committed to waging war on these serious and organised criminals.

"We are acutely aware people's lives are ruined by these serious organised crime groups. They use people as a commodity and make lives miserable for local residents."

The operation saw police work with colleagues from the UK Border Agency, Security Industry Authority, Department of Work and Pensions, HM Revenue and Customs, and Local Authority Licensing Departments.

Serious organised crime is estimated to cost Scotland about 2 billion a year. It ranges from low-level offences, such as counterfeit goods, to serious crime, including violence and intimidation, and firearms offences.

There are 367 serious crime gangs in Scotland, 152 of them in Strathclyde, a previous study found. An estimated 92 per cent of the gangs are involved in the drug trade, with dozens ordering shipments direct from Colombia and Afghanistan.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said the operation had dealt a "hammer blow" to Glasgow's crime gangs. "The Scottish Government will not tolerate gangsters operating in our community and no effort will be spared in detaining them and stripping them of their assets," he said.

He said the Strathclyde action was proof organised criminal networks were being disrupted.

But Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Centre of Drug Misuse Research at Glasgow University, cautioned against reading too much into the value of narcotics seized.

"Unless they provide a breakdown on the quantities of drugs they are seizing, it is very difficult to establish what the impact these seizures will have on the street," he said.

"You can produce a large financial price for that quantity, but that figure could look quite small compared with the value of the total amount of drugs being consumed in Strathclyde."