Tayside’s top police officer has hailed the success of a police crackdown on drug dealers for disrupting the supply of illicit drugs into the region.
Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Paul Anderson claimed major drugs busts in Dundee and Perth and Kinross had also reduced availability in Angus towns.
An “intelligence led” police campaign against drugs in Angus has seen a 31% increase in the number of people caught for drugs supply, production and cultivation.
However Mr Anderson said significant seizures from bordering areas had also impacted on Angus as drug suppliers “know no boundaries”.
“There has been a Tayside focus to identify and hunt down people who deal in drugs and serious and organised crime,” Mr Anderson said at a meeting of Angus Council.
“Over the last three to six months I’m absolutely delighted that across Tayside there have been a number of significant drug recoveries in Dundee and Perth and Kinross.
“Just because they sit in the other two areas don’t think this doesn’t relate to people in the communities of Angus because I can tell you it clearly does.
“The people who deal in such offences know no boundaries.”
Recent high profile drug busts have included the recovery of a variety of drugs worth £465,000 from an address in Raglan Street, Dundee, in February this year and the seizure of heroin and cocaine worth £220,000 from an address in Bellefield Avenue, Dundee, in October.
The latest police report for Angus showed that between April and December last year 38 people were caught for supplying and producing drugs as well as 238 arrests for drugs possession.
The report stated that police had made a “considerable effort” in targeting suppliers using an intelligence led approach which had proved successful.
Earlier last year a police sting found a cannabis farm and drugs with a potential value of £100,000 in a Restenneth Drive flat in Forfar.
22-year-old Jay Potter, who was also caught with a £1,500 block of heroin, was jailed for 32 months at Forfar Sheriff Court in June.
On another occasion the community investigation unit arrested two individuals in Angus for being concerned in the supply of £4,690 cocaine and £1,330 heroin. Another man was caught supplying more than £500 of heroin.
“Something that’s heartening is the increase in detection rate for supply,” Mr Anderson added.
“There has been a slight drop in numbers for people brought to justice in terms of personal use, but more people caught who deal in drugs and they are the very people we should be looking at.
“This will be a continuing area of attention for me and my colleagues across Tayside and across the whole of Police Scotland.”
The illegal drugs found in people’s possession were usually cannabis, heroin or cocaine.
On one night during the festive safety campaign in Angus five individuals were stopped and searched and found to be in possession of cocaine in an operation that was supported by licensed premises and drugs search dogs.
The total value of drugs recovered in Angus in the last three months of 2016 was £11,409.