This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Ministers welcome record drugs seizure
02/10/2002
Scottish Ministers today welcomed the seizure of cocaine
with an estimated street value of £50 million.
The drugs were seized following a joint operation by the
Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and HM Customs and Excise.
It is the largest-ever seizure in an operation involving
the SDEA.
Justice Minister Jim Wallace said:
"These drugs would have caused huge harm to individuals,
families and communities not just in Scotland but right
across the UK. This news is a massive credit to the work of
HM Customs and the SDEA.
"We have a twin track approach against drugs, aiming to
get them off the street and reduce demand. This seizure is
powerful illustration of the success that can be achieved
in disrupting drugs supply networks, by working closely
together, in Scotland and world-wide. It shows the value of
co-operation by Scottish, UK and international drug
enforcement agencies, which was discussed at the Drug
Summit last week."
First Minister Jack McConnell said:
"The size of the delivery shows how far drug traffickers
will go to spread misery in our communities. It reinforces
our determination to toughen our enforcement, use new laws
to go after the funds dealers use to traffic drugs and do
more to reduce the market for drugs in Scotland.
"The seizure shows that we also need to cut the demand
for drugs. Cocaine and crack cocaine are a growing problem.
We must take action now and Malcolm Chisholm has today
announced a ground-breaking pilot cocaine and crack cocaine
treatment service in Aberdeen."
The special meeting of the Scottish Drug Enforcement
Forum (the Drugs Summit) took place on Monday September 23
at the Scottish Police College, Tulliallan.
High-ranking officers from the US Drug Enforcement
Administration, including Mr Richard Fiano, Director of US
DEA Operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and Mr
Joseph Keefe, US DEA Special Agent, also attended.
They were invited by the First Minister after he
accompanied USDEA officers on an operation in New York
during Tartan Day. The Forum was established to bring
together agencies involved in drug enforcement in Scotland
to improve co-operation against drug dealing and first met
in 2000.
In 2001-02, SDEA led operations, joint action or
assistance given to other forces resulted in the seizure of
drugs with a street value of £19.9 million (72 per cent of
which were Class A) and 172 people were arrested for drug
trafficking offences. Since April of this year, drugs with
a street value of £11.2 million have been seized, and 95
persons arrested for drug trafficking offences.