DRUG ENFORCER WARNS: WE'LL NAIL THE DEALERS

The new man in charge of the battle against drugs in Scotland yesterday
vowed to get to the root of the growing heroin problem and warned dealers:
"There will be no hiding place."

Jim Orr, director of the new Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency, promised:
"The difference will be seen where it matters - on the streets.

"If you live in a community where there are real difficulties with drug
abuse, you will see it. All I will promise is there will be a significant
effort to make a difference."

Last night Mr Orr was challeneged to come to the North-east to see the
problems. He said he would be keeping a close eye on the anti-drug campaign
in Grampian, where more than 1,000 new heroin users were recorded last year.

Figures published this week show there were 905 new cases in Aberdeen in
1998-9 - second only to Glasgow and nearly three times that of Edinburgh. A
further 167 were recorded in Aberdeenshire.

Grampian Police dealt with 31 drug-related deaths in that period - the
highest since 1996. And the number of injecting drug users with Hepatitis B
more than doubled in the region, from 25 to 54.

The Scottish Executive will be funding the SDEA to the tune of UKP10million
over the next two years. Its main aims are to make drugs harder to come by
in Scotland, to break up drug rings and to create a co-ordinated
intelligence network.

Its priority will be to combat dealing in heroin and cocaine.

Mr Orr, assistant chief constable of Strathclyde Police, admitted that the
SDEA would not reach its goals overnight but warned that no quarter would
be given to drug dealers.

He said: "There is no greater professional challenge than combating drugs.
It will take time but the agency is good news for Scotland, good news for
the public and above all, bad news for those who deal in drugs."

Mr Orr said the SDEA would align surveillance operations so that a map of
drug-dealing in Scotland could be drawn up.

Intelligence and enforcement would be the key to the campaign, and other
agencies would be recruited to work on prevention and education.

He said that an SDEA drugs co-ordinator would liaise closely with each force.

"The drugs co-ordinator and the drugs co-ordinator within Grampian Police
will discuss what's happening on the ground and will try to find out what
the underlying causes are for this increase in drug trafficking."

In partnership with the National Criminal Intelligence Service, and
Customs, Mr Orr said the SDEA will look at the drug-smuggling routes into
Scotland to see what can be done.

Last night he was challenged to visit the North-east to see the problems
faced by drugs workers in the area.

Janice Jess, co-ordinator for Grampian Addiction Problem Services, said: "I
would ask him to look at the crying need in the Grampian area for proper
detoxification rehabilitation."

She also expressed concern at Mr Orr's Central Belt connections, and
claimed: "They don't consider the drug addicts in Aberdeenshire a major
problem because they see drugs as a city-based problem.

"Mr Orr has got to come out and meet all of the agencies that operate
outwith the Central Belt and not just the health boards and the councils."

And she said his first task should be to tackle major dealers rather than
dealer-users.

North-East Scotland Tory MSP Ben Wallace said: "I hope he does recognise
the very acute problems we have.

"But he is going in with one arm tied behind his back because the
Government has failed to put laws in place which could give some way of
tackling drug dealers.

"We need strict powers on the seizing of assets, closures of the loopholes
that let big drug dealers go free and laws to protect against intimidation.
In small communities like we have in the North, there are worries about
intimidation."

Mr Wallace said the fight against drug trafficking should be on a par with
terrorism.

He claimed: "The Government haven't given enough draconian powers to get to
grips with the drug dealers."

Aberdeen North MSP Elaine Thomson said: "Aberdeen has an extremely serious
drug problem and I am certain that we will get the time, attention and
resources we require."

SNP North-east MSP Brian Adam, welcomed Mr Orr's appointment but added: "We
should be putting more money into detox, rehab and support."