Police Scotland's January cannabis crackdown: £8.5 million worth of illegal drugs seized, including £115,000 in Inverness

Police Scotland has seized cannabis plants worth a combined total of over £8.5 million since the start of 2024 – including drugs worth around £115,000 recovered in Inverness last week.

In January alone so far, officers have intercepted various quantities of the Class B drug with an estimated street value of £8,624,000.

Police confirmed that significant recoveries were made in Inverness, Dumfries, Ayrshire, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Aberdeen and Shetland, with arrests made in relation to the majority of the seizures and enquiries are ongoing into the remaining incidents.

This comes after Police Scotland confirmed that almost 50 drug driving offences were recorded in the Highlands over December – making it the police division with the most drug driving offences recorded.

Detective Superintendent Craig Willison from Police Scotland’s Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit said: “This year we have already seen some very significant recoveries across the country which demonstrates that no community is safe from the harm caused by illegal drugs.

“Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, and our officers are determined to protect members of the public from this type of criminality.

“Anyone who brings drugs into our communities for their own illicit gain should be in absolutely no doubt that we will rigorously pursue every means possible to disrupt this activity – we will find you and bring you to justice.

“Information and support from members of the public is vital to our work and I would encourage anyone with concerns about drugs activity in their area to contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

This month’s activity took place right across Scotland including two seven-figure seizures, with cannabis worth £3.6 million recovered in Greenock and a further quantity worth £2.25 million recovered in Dundee.

On Wednesday last week (January 17) a warrant was executed at an address in Bailey Place, and a quantity of Class B drugs and more than £4000 in cash were found.

A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with drugs offences.

Speaking about the recovery, Sergeant Michael Clark of the Violence Reduction Unit said: “This is a significant seizure and highlights our dedication to removing illegal drugs from within our communities.

“This operation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.

“Members of the public play a vital role in the crackdown of unlawful substances and I would urge anyone with information or concerns to please contact us via 101, or alternatively the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 where anonymity can be maintained.”