WAR ON DRUG LORDS
Police declared war on major drug dealers this week – after seizing hauls of crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis off the streets of South Ayrshire.
A well- known gang of Liverpudlian dealers are among those understood to have been picked up at locations across the region. Raids took place as part of a new initiative now operating called ‘ Operation Designate,’ which aims to target drug dealers and disrupt their illicit trade.
Among the finds included:
■ Crack cocaine in Russell Drive, Ayr;
■ £ 100,000 worth of cannabis seized in Cessnock Road, Troon;
■ Cocaine seizures at multiple locations in Ayrshire;
■ £ 50,000 of Class A drugs taken off the streets;
■ Eight people arrested and approximately £ 20,000 in drugs cash confiscated.
And criminals have been warned there will now be no hiding place.
Detective Inspector Ross Black, who heads up the Ayrshire Police Pro- Active Crime Team, told the Post: “The public will have seen a lot of extra police activity in their communities and this will continue.”
Police in South Ayrshire have launched an offensive against big- time drug dealing in the area.
Operation Designate aims to put an end to the illegal activities of gangs in the region.
And the operation is here to stay, say senior officers.
It comes as £ 50,000 worth of Class A drugs were seized off the streets.
Eight people were arrested and approximately £ 20,000 in drugs cash was confiscated.
And criminals have been told there will be no hiding place.
Chief Inspector Brian Anderson, Area Commander at South Ayrshire, said: “The work of Operation Designate once again shows the commitment we are making to local communities in tackling the problem of those who deal in drugs and there will be no let- up in this.
“Recent successes demonstrate that our work in gathering information and intelligence is effective and I would repeat my previous appeal to the public to continue to work with us by reporting concerns they have around those involved in supplying drugs.
“We will act on this information and together we can reduce the misery that drug dealers cause.”
Detective Inspector Ross Black, who heads up the Ayrshire Police Pro- Active Crime Team, warned criminals that he’s got dedicated teams of pro- active CID officers, working with local community officers and assisted by specialist officers drawn from national resources, at his disposal to help fight the war on drug dealers.
He told The Post : “Among the crimes that really matter to the public is drug dealing and they want us to keep cracking down on this.
“We work hard with our partners to disrupt those involved in serious and organised crime and Operation Designate will focus on this issue, specifically targeting drug dealing.
“The public will have seen a lot of extra police activity in their communities and this will continue.
“We’re employing certain strategies that are aimed at catching those responsible because of the trail of destruction they leave and they make money from that destruction.
“So it’s time we turned the tables on them.”
The Post has learned that the operation has already yielded some fantastic results. It’s understood a raid on a gang of Liverpudlian drug dealers, who’ve been operating locally, was among the successes.
They were caught at various locations in Ayrshire with multiple deals of Class A drug cocaine and more than £ 12,000 in cash.
Other notable results so far include a large scale cannabis cultivation in a residential property in Cessnock Road, Troon, where in excess of £ 100,000 of cannabis was seized, resulting in the arrest of a 25 year- old Albanian man.
Another raid saw detectives seize dealer amounts of crack cocaine from a property in Ayr’s Russell Drive – and £ 1700 in cash.
In addition, eight people were arrested over the last week on drug supply charges, where approximately £ 20,000 in cash and £ 50,000 in Class A drugs such as heroin were discovered.
The seizures and arrests follow the recent capture elsewhere in the country of more than 110,000 street Valium, valued at £ 75,000, another sign that the new operation is hitting the dealers hard.
DI Black said: “The ongoing success of this operation will be reliant on the co- operation and continued support of the public.
“We rely on the assistance of those living in the local communities who can provide us with the information to make these arrests, their continued support is invaluable. I can assure the public that if they report this type of crime, we will act on that information.
“We’re asking the public to tell us what their concerns are in Ayrshire, either via their local community based officers, 101 service or contact Crimestoppers through 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
He added: “Ayrshire is a lovely place to stay but there are certain elements who blight things, so we’ll keep pushing on and continue to work hard to protect the communities we serve.”
The public will have seen a lot of extra police activity in their communities