MORE HELD IN POLICE DRUGS BLITZ

DETECTIVES have seized a single haul of drugs with a street value of
UKP120,000 in one of the biggest operations in the history of Lothian and
Borders Police.

The haul, in Midlothian, included Class A drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy
and was described by police last night as "a considerable loss to the drugs
trade" in the area.

As part of Operation Foil which was launched eight days ago, 252 houses
have been searched in the Lothian and Borders region and 139 people have
been arrested or reported to the procurator-fiscal.

Three men arrested in connection with the raids appeared at Edinburgh
Sheriff Court yesterday charged with drugs offences.

Earlier in the week police arrested 70 people and seized more than
UKP300,000 in illegal substances and assets, confiscating an arsenal of
weapons. Officers targeted homes in Wester Hailes, Sighthill and
Broomhouse, in Edinburgh, on Monday, the Borders on Tuesday and Greendykes,
Southhouse and Burdiehouse, in south Edinburgh, on Wednesday.

Large quantities of counterfeit goods and replica firearms were confiscated
by drug squad officers and members of the force's specialist community
support unit.

Detective Chief Superintendent Douglas Watson, head of Lothian and Borders
CID, said officers had raided about 30 homes. "Around 20 people have been
reported every day this week. Drugs have been seized every day including
heroin. We've also seized stolen property and counterfeit CDs."

Weapons, ammunition and stolen property worth tens of thousands of pounds
of stolen property were found along with heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and
amphetamines last week. One of the biggest heroin finds had a street value
of UKP11,200.

The police crackdown is a direct response to the huge increase in heroin
supplies in the past year. More and more people are believed to be smoking
heroin instead of injecting it.

Large quantities of the drug have flooded the Lothians and the Borders in
the last 12 months. Police say the supplies of heroin, often smuggled from
Turkey are very pure and one "wrap" costs little more than an ecstasy
tablet. Force commanders are anxious to avoid being caught out as they had
been in the early 1980s when heroin flooded the capital.

Police have hailed Operation Foil as a victory and believe the seizures
have severely disrupted the supply chain.

Officers say they are keen to halt the progress of the drug trade in
Edinburgh before the problem mirrors that in Glasgow.

The total value of the drugs recovered so far is approaching the UKP500,000
mark.

The operation involved 800 uniformed and specialist officers who carried
out pre-dawn raids across the region.

Last night police said a number of children had been referred to the social
services department during the raids after concern about their welfare.

Roy Cameron, the Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders described Operation
Foil as a huge success.

He said: "This operation continues to have an enormous impact on heroin
dealers on our streets.

"The force is pledged to continue the primary aim to robustly combat the
illicit drugs market."

Checked-by: Pat Dolan