“We will come for you.”
That is the message from the Dundee police chief behind a series of drugs raids that rocked the Hilltown.
Inspector Cath Lannen oversaw 20 officers, some in riot gear and carrying battering rams, who stormed three flats in the area’s multis.
Despite targeting “low-level dealers”, Inspector Lannen said the “intelligence-led” operation could be the first piece in the puzzle to catch some of Dundee’s drugs kingpins.
She said: “This action we are undertaking is in relation to Operation Slate, which is ongoing work against drug dealing in the city.
“We would encourage anyone in Dundee to come forward and give us further information on this sort of activity, and we will act on it.
“We have zero tolerance to drug dealing, and that message is clear.
“Anyone who is dealing drugs, we say to you: we will find out who you are, where you are and we will come for you.
“We are gathering intelligence all the time, and we may get more following (this) operation, giving us a better picture of what’s happening in Dundee.”
Speaking before the operation, Inspector Lannen said the large police presence was necessary to catch the dealers and ensure they are brought to justice.
“We have about 20 officers at the scene working on a number of levels in the building, and some officers will be deployed outside the building to make sure nothing is coming out of the windows as well,” she said.
“These individuals are probably best described as low-level drug dealers, but we are expecting to find class A drugs such as heroin and, possibly, cocaine.”
Locals welcomed the police action against suspected drug dealers.
William Stupart, 35, a gardener who lives in the building where the raids took place, said: “I’m glad to see something being done about it. I’ve just moved in two months ago and a lot of people I’ve spoken to have said it’s a big problem.”
Gregor Sharpe, 23, a Hilltown resident, said: “I often see people outside the tenements taking drugs.
“You can ask them to move on, but you have to watch what you say in this area. It seems to be getting worse.”
One man has been arrested on warrant and a further male and female have been reported to the procurator fiscal for alleged drug possession.