Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
FACTORY IS A BLUE PLAGUE ON VILLAGE
Millions of pills a day produced from base within industrial estate unit
Scotland’s biggest ever street valium factory was uncovered in a Monklands village.
The facility, capable of producing millions of deadly street valium tablets each day, was operating within a unit in a Salsburgh industrial estate.
Search warrants were granted for the premises at Springfield Park in September as a result of “intelligence development work”.
It is understood that the equipment found was capable of producing up to 180,000 tablets per hour of etizolam, also known as “The Blue Plague” due to the number of deaths in which the drug has been implicated.
Police Scotland chiefs stated: “The location housed a commercial site being used for the large-scale production of etizolam.
“The location was subjected to a prolonged forensic examination in an effort to secure evidence.
“It was capable of producing 180,000 tablets per hour.
“This is the most significant recovery of its kind in Scotland.”
Police officers also seized 1kg of cocaine during the operation.
A factory capable of producing millions of deadly street valium tablets each day has been discovered in Monklands.
The set-up, thought to be the biggest ever found in the country, was operating within a unit in an industrial estate in the village of Salsburgh.
It is understood that the equipment found was capable of producing up to 180,000 etizolam tablets in just one hour.
Etizolam, which is also known as “The Blue Plague” due to the number of deaths the drug has been implicated in, is a benzodiazepine, which produces similar effects to valium.
Search warrants were granted for the premises at Springfield Park in September as a result of “intelligence development work”.
In a crime report to North Lanarkshire councillors, Police Scotland chiefs stated: “The location housed a commercial site being used for the large scale production of specifically etizolam.
“The location was subjected to a prolonged forensic examination in an effort to secure evidence.
“It was capable of producing 180,000 tablets per hour.
“This is the most significant recovery of its kind in Scotland.”
Police chiefs hailed officers’ “outstanding” work in smashing the operation in the North Lanarkshire village.
Police officers also seized 1kg of cocaine during their operation.
Locals were stunned at the scale of the discovery – and that such a large drugs operation was taking place nearby.
One resident said: “I noticed police activity and thought that the building must be a crime scene.
“It seemed to be top secret.” A worker in the industrial estate said: “These pills kill many people.
“If the police have managed to stop production that’s good news.”
Enquiries are ongoing as police attempt to track down those responsible for the factory.
No arrests have yet been made.
Street valium was involved in the vast majority of Scotland’s record-breaking 1339 drug deaths in 2020.
It was capable of producing 180,000 tablets per hour. This is the most significant recovery of its kind in Scotland Police Scotland