POLICE have seized £28,000 worth of drugs after a raid of 14 Fife addresses including in Dunfermline.

Controlled drugs such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin were all recovered as Police made 12 arrests.

An illegal replica firearm, £2,200 in cash, £800 in stolen property and a motor vehicle were also retrieved.

The raids are part of a new local initiative, Operation Prospect, to target the supply of illicit drugs and substance misuse. 

Scott Cunningham, Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham, who is leading the operation, said: “We are taking positive enforcement action to arrest individuals and recover drugs and weapons from our communities.

“In doing so, we are addressing concerns expressed in the Your View Counts survey which clearly indicate that the Fife community considers the supply of illegal drugs to be damaging and unacceptable with devastating consequences for families. 

“We have carried out planned and focused activity and will continue to do so with the ongoing assistance of the public which is crucial.

“However we know it is also crucial that the right support, education and prevention is in place to make our communities safer and protect the public. To that end we are committed to working with our partners to tackle the supply of drugs across the region and reduce the harm drug dealing causes."

Gareth Balmer for Addaction, Scotland’s largest drugs and alcohol treatment and recovery charity said: “Although Scotland is actually seeing reductions in illicit drug use across all age groups (in particular those under 25) we are still experiencing unprecedented rates of drug-related death in Scotland.

“Drugs and in particular heroin use continue to affect Fife and indeed the whole of Scotland.  We hope that police operations such as these will go some way to reducing the amount of drugs available in our communities and will, I hope, act as a catalyst for people to seek help or to engage more fully in treatment programmes.

“Treatment is effective and available and there are a number of drop-in clinics around Fife where people can be assessed and quickly referred into appropriate treatment.

“Our localised services are free, easy to access and are delivered by teams of professionals with expertise in drug/alcohol interventions. 

“Helping people into recovery is a challenge in communities where drugs are easily accessible, but it is a challenge we are determined to face.”

Gordon Wardrope, Fife Education Officer, said: “Fife Council Education Services work closely with our colleagues in Police Scotland to help get the anti-drug messages across in our classrooms.

“Our schools talk to children and young people about the dangers of illegal substances and work with pupils and other organisations to help further reduce drug use among young people.” 

To find out about Addactions services in Fife and across Scotland visit: http://www.addaction.org.uk/help-and-support/addaction-scotland/our-services-scotland

Anyone with concerns about the abuse of controlled drugs, or information about those involved in the supply of controlled drugs, is urged to contact Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.