A LONG-TERM undercover police investigation into drug dealing in Lanarkshire came to an end yesterday, as 21 people were sentenced to a combined total of over 22 years in prison.
The accused were among 33 people arrested in dawn raids at 20 addresses throughout the area in June last year.
They received sentences ranging from six months to 2½ years at Hamilton Sheriff Court after admitting being concerned in the supply of
class A drugs, mainly heroin.
A lengthy trial involving almost 200 witnesses had been anticipated, but ultimately the accused admitted their guilt before proceedings began.
Chief Superintendent Tim Love, the divisional commander of South Lanarkshire, said Operation Robust had been designed to target those who were "blighting a community with their actions".
He added: "The arrests of those individuals and their subsequent sentencing has shown that Strathclyde Police, the Crown Office and Procurator-Fiscal Service and South Lanarkshire Council will not tolerate a minority bringing misery to the lives of others and that, through partnership working, that minority will be brought to justice.
"We all want South Lanarkshire to be a place that residents can feel safe in and be proud of, and where there is no place for criminal activity in that vision," he said.
"Strathclyde Police work to gather as much information as possible to deal with offences and offenders, but we also rely heavily on the people of South Lanarkshire to help us by coming forward with information they may have.
"That was the case with Operation Robust, and I believe it has sent out a clear message to anyone engaging in criminality that they can – and will – be caught."
Janet Cameron, the area procurator-fiscal for Lanarkshire, said the prosecutions had been the result of a "lengthy and highly complex investigation", requiring a dedicated prosecution team to be set up in the Hamilton fiscal's office to prepare the cases for trial, and close co-operation with officers from Strathclyde Police and forensic scientists.
"As with all cases involving class A drugs, we, as prosecutors, were absolutely committed to gathering all available evidence in preparation for what would certainly have been a very lengthy trial process, had the accused not accepted their guilt," she said.
"We are in no doubt about the corrosive effect which the supply of illicit drugs can have on a community.
"These convictions and sentences send a clear message to all those who continue to supply drugs in our communities that these destructive crimes will simply not be tolerated and that those responsible cannot escape justice."
The full article contains 437 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
