Falkirk crime: Police recover £1 million-worth of cannabis plants from a building

A new report says criminals involved in drugs and fraud continue to be disrupted by the force. Officers seized drugs, with an estimated street value of around £5 million during operations across the country between September and December 2022. Cannabis, cocaine, heroin and amphetamine were recovered and a significant number of arrests were made through pro-active activity.

In Falkirk £1 million of cannabis plants were seized at a building with two men arrested.

Elsewhere, a man was arrested following the discovery of a cannabis cultivation at a property in the East End of Glasgow. The plants were worth almost £300,000. Two vehicles were stopped in separate operations in Aberdeenshire and 10kg and 15kg of cannabis were seized, while during the period officers seized two industrial pill presses – capable of producing millions of street Valium tablets.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “Drugs and those involved in supplying them blight our communities. The report highlights the hard work of our officers to disrupt this activity right across Scotland and our commitment to working with others such as the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to make it even more difficult for them to exploit vulnerable people.

“Our important contribution to helping to prevent the harm caused by drugs is shown in the report. Naloxone has now been administered more than 100 times by our officers. Our national roll-out is programme is almost complete and will soon see 12,500 officers equipped with the lifesaving nasal spray treatment. Police Scotland’s 2022-23 Quarter 3 Performance Report also outlines the case of five men found guilty of a number of money laundering offences, which took place in England, with the criminal proceeds being fraudulently moved into a solicitors account and then to others.

The deputy chief constable added: “The number of fraud offences, especially those with a cyber element, continues to rise. These significant enforcement outcomes underline our commitment to protecting people in public, private and online spaces. Our policing in a digital world programme seeks to ensure we continue build the tools and skills to keep people safe online.”