More than £300,000 worth of drugs have been seized in the past fortnight after major police operations in central Fife.
Chief Inspector Derek McEwan has praised the role of the public in assisting his officers, claiming that intelligence provided to his staff has been instrumental in tackling serious crime in the region.
Class A substances were among those seized in the Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy areas since the beginning of the month.
Mr McEwan told The Courier: “Since November 4, as a result of policing operations in the central Fife area, in excess of £300,000 worth of drugs have been seized, with 16 people reported for being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.
“The drugs seized include heroin, cocaine, cannabis resin and cannabis plants. All of the seized drugs were likely destined for the streets of Fife.
“Much of these seizures are as a result of our community investigation units reacting to information supplied directly to the police by the public,” the officer added.
“A number of the individuals apprehended are connected to serious and organised crime groups.”
Removing drugs from the streets of Fife has been a priority for police.
Despite recent seizures, efforts look set to continue in tackling the trade, with Mr McEwan urging people throughout the region to continue providing assistance.
Thanking them for their help so far, he said the results of police and public cooperation were beginning to show.
“It is not only serious and violent crime that members of the public have helped us to target,” he added.
“As a direct consequence of information provided by members of the public, crimes and offences including bogus workmen, road crime and anti-social behaviour have been detected.
“In addition, the information we receive from the public allows us to disrupt the activities of criminals, preventing crimes being carried out in the first place.”