'Yardies' targeted in second day of crack cocaine raids

A number of flats in Leith have been raided as part of Operation Advance

Officers swooped on addresses in the Leith area at 6am this morning in a bid to round up more suspects identified by a six-month covert investigation.

More than 100 officers were involved in the raids under Operation Advance, which targeted gangsters who have moved to Edinburgh from the English Midlands, including Birmingham.

Seven people were detained following today's blitz across a number of addresses in the area. Police confirmed that "a quantity" of drugs had been seized.

It follows a series of raids on five addresses in Leith yesterday, which saw 15 people taken into custody.

Around 2000 of cocaine, heroin and herbal cannabis was recovered yesterday along with a sum of cash.

Many of the suspects arrested were set to face charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

Police are now carrying out extra high-visibility patrols in Leith to reassure the community, while officers are also making visits to schools in the area to promote drug awareness.

NHS Lothian is also set to provide support for crack users whose supply has been cut off by the arrests.

Chief Superintendent Gill Imery, Edinburgh's divisional commander, said: "We are working to return this community to normal and send out a message that Leith and the whole of Edinburgh is a hostile environment for those who seek to peddle misery through drugs.

"We hope the community will feel confident to work with us and give us information about any form of criminality of which they are aware."

Yardie dealers have been selling crack cocaine from public places in Leith, including play parks, as well as from their own homes, and have been trying to hook existing heroin addicts and other drug users on crack .

Chief Inspector Denise Mulvaney, from Leith police station, is in charge of the community reassurance part of Operation Advance. She said: "Members of the community in Leith will have been aware of the police activity going on, and some may be have been left confused or worried. We're carrying out high-visibility patrols and putting our community beat officers out there."

Councillor Paul Edie, the city's community safety leader, praised the police operation. He said: "By working together we can all make Edinburgh a safer place."