HEROIN TOTAL SOARS AS RECORD AMOUNT OF DRUGS IS SEIZED

Detectives Praised For Foiling Smuggling Rings And Trapping Football Hooligans

RECORD seizures of heroin and other Class A drugs were made by the Scottish
Crime Squad last year, according to its annual report.

The specialist force, which draws detectives from all of Scotland's eight
forces, was also behind the successful detention of more than 50 Scottish
football hooligans who planned to cause havoc at the 1998 World Cup in France.

Figures from the annual report show the street value of drug seizures
increased by 36 per cent to A311.8 million and resulted in 116 arrests.

More than 28kg of heroin were recovered, an increase of over 150 per cent on
the 1997/98 total and four times the total weight seized two years ago. In
joint operations with Scottish drug squads and Customs and Excise
investigators, 330kg of cannabis resin were also removed from the supply
chain and more than 14kg of cocaine seized.

The squad, which has teams in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stonehaven, was also
behind a number of successful arrests of English and German drug- smuggling
gangs.

One squad officer was commended by a High Court judge for the role he played
in Operation Fingers which targeted two Englishmen and two Dutchmen who
attempted to smuggle UKP17 million worth of cannabis from Morocco to
Scotland. The four were jailed for a total of 34 years in March after the
officer infiltrated the operation and joined their yacht as it tried to land
166 bales of cannabis at Portpatrick, near Stranraer,

Last October, four Germans were jailed for a total of 28 years after a joint
SCS and Customs and Excise operation intercepted cannabis worth a street
value of UKP30 million on board a boat off Wick, Caithness.

Drug-related crime accounted for nearly 78 per cent of operational hours
worked by the 94-strong squad. The squad recovered nearly UKP200,000 worth
of property and UKP1.2 million of assets were seized or are currently
retained from 34 successful operations.

The Scottish Criminal Intelligence Office, which plays a crucial role in
assessing and categorising the criminals targeted by the squad, also
prevented wide-spread hooliganism at the 1998 World Cup.

Information gathered by the unit highlighted a group of 58 Scottish football
fans who had flown to northern Spain intent on travelling to Bordeaux. They
were tailed from Glasgow Airport and put under surveillance in Spain. Their
coach was detained as it arrived in Bordeaux and trouble was averted.

Chief Supt Jim Johnstone, commander of the Scottish Crime Squad, said: "The
squad has well-established links with all eight Scottish police forces,
Customs and Excise and the National Criminal Intelligence Service, all
having a common purpose of bringing major criminals to justice."

John Orr, the Chief Constable of Strathclyde and chairman of the Standing
Committee of Chief Constables, said the squad was an important and
irreplaceable weapon in the fight against major drug dealers and highly
organised criminals.

Mr Orr said: "When you look at the productivity of last year's seizure
figures compared to even two years ago, this demonstrates the significant
and very brave actions on occasions these officers are taking, not just in
relation to the seizures, but to the disruption of supplies and the people
involved."

Mr Orr said the continued investment in high-calibre officers to
specifically target top-grade criminals was important. "The value and
benefits of having a country-wide squad really is something we could never
do without. They are targeting and taking out the most high-calibre players
in the game and, in truth, that could not be done on a force-by-force basis."