15 held in raids on jail drug dealers
FIFTEEN people have been arrested in a police crackdown on drugs at a Scottish prison.
It came after the Record highlighted recent incidents at HMP Addiewell involving super-strength “zombie drugs” such as Spice and Annihilation.
Over the last two days, police carried raids at the high-security facility in West Lothian and addresses in Renfrew and Paisley.
Ten men aged between 19 and 35 from “within the prison estate” were arrested along with two men aged 34 from North Lanarkshire and Edinburgh.
Three women aged 57, 34 and 27, all from the Renfrewshire area, were also arrested.
Officers said Operation Hambo was launched following intelligence that psychoactive substances were being distributed inside the prison.
Drugs recovered included synthetic cannabis, heroin, cocaine and herbal cannabis and so-called “legal highs”.
Superintendent Craig Smith said: “This successful operation is the result of extensive intelligence and evidence-gathering work conducted by our officers, staff within HMP Addiewell and colleagues at the Scottish Prison Service.
“The proliferation of drugs within the prison estate is a serious issue which can severely hinder those individual’s chances of rehabilitation and addressing their offending behaviour.”
Ian Whitehead, director of HMP Addiewell, said: “We will continue to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, working with Police Scotland through Operation Hambo and beyond, as well as NHS and other partner agencies to tackle this issue.
“The safety of our staff remains our top priority.
“We’ll continue to support those within our care suffering from substance misuse issues while every possible action is taken against those who attempt to introduce illicit items to the prison and who take an active part in moving drugs within the establishment.”