Police step up war on drugs

Aug 7 2008

POLICE yesterday (Wednesday) raided a Hamilton house as part of a crackdown on drug dealing.

Around 12 officers wearing helmets and carrying shields burst into a flat in Silvertonhill Place just after 9am.

They broke down the door using a battering ram and other implements and were joined by uniformed officers, dog handlers and a search team.

It followed a raid on a house in Hamilton’s Highstonehall Road on Tuesday.

Drug paraphernalia was later removed from the Silvertonhill Place flat and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.

Chief inspector Tom Aitken of Hamilton police office said this week that the force would act on any information it received on suspected drug dealing.

“This was not a one-off exercise. It was part of an on-going offensive targeting dealers,” he said.

“We had identified certain individuals based on intelligence we had received and obtained the necessary warrants.

“If individuals concerned have a history of violence and may present a danger, then public order officers will be used.

“When the intelligence is there and the warrants are granted, we will take this action – and will continue to do so.

“It is one of our main priorities in South Lanarkshire. The public would expect us to do nothing less.”

Recent figures released by police show that the amount of people snared for drug dealing rose by 71 per cent between 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The statistics reflected the number of operations carried out to target the crime.

One, codenamed Robust, occurred last June and led to 34 people appearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court charged with drug dealing.

Among those later sentenced for dealing in heroin were Mark Cain, of Millgate Road, Hamilton, and James Black, of Rigside. They each received one-year jail terms.