£2.5million of drugs taken off Granite City streets this year

Drugs worth nearly £2.5million were seized in Aberdeen in just one year.

Around 192 kilos of cannabis, 4.8 kilos of diamorphine, more than 5,000 diazepam tablets and 11.95 kilos of cocaine were among the substances seized by officers in the city.

252 drugs search warrants were executed – that’s nearly five raids every week - while 211 people were reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for drug supply offences.

Among the most notable seizures was the recovery of £120,000 worth of 'crack' cocaine and diamorphine in the Bridge of Don area, and £40,000 of cannabis and cocaine from the Tillydrone area during the execution of warrants.

A 52-year-old pharmacist also had £432,000 of assets seized from him as a result of a multi-agency enquiry into falsifying prescription drugs for his own financial gain.

The up-to-date figures - collated between September 1, 2016, and August 31, 2017 - are being presented to Aberdeen City Council as part of North East Division's commitment to local scrutiny.

Detective Superintendent Alex Dowall said: "Drug supply and distribution remains one of the most lucrative activities for SOCGs not just in Aberdeen, but throughout Scotland as a whole. But let these figures be testament to the constant, proactive work that is undertaken locally to intercept drugs bound for our streets and to dismantle the crime groups behind them.

"Tackling SOC will always be a priority for North East Division and Police Scotland, in particular targeting the English-based drug dealers who target our area for their own financial gain. Criminals from out with the North East can present various logistical challenges for us however with support on our roads and rail from our colleagues in Specialist Crime Division, Roads Policing and British Transport Police, we are recording more and more successes than ever.

"Enforcement is just one key part of this strategy however, and I cannot stress enough the wider work that is done in conjunction with our communities and partners to ensure there is a holistic approach to substance abuse. The four 'D' approach - Detect, Deter, Disrupt and Divert - is crucial to tackling wider drug related issues, and a partnership approach co-ordinated by serious organised crime groups that sit within local authority areas is key to identifying the people who will engage with us to divert them away from this type of activity."

He added: "Ultimately we rely on the public to let us know when and where you think drugs are being supplied. The intelligence we gather is essential to target our resources to the right places at the right times, and I can't emphasise enough how much we appreciate the support we receive from people living and working in our communities.

"Please continue to report your concerns to us by contacting Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 in confidence."