Police operation reveals where Possilpark drug dealers are hiding their stashes

CRAFTY drug dealers are hiding their stashes in every nook and cranny in public spaces in a bid to avoid getting caught by cops in Possilpark.

Their clever tactics came to light as officers hit popular drug dealing spots for public raids as part of Operation Induna.

Four common closes were targeted on Saracen Street on Friday morning as part of the public raid which aimed to disrupt the activities of North Glasgow’s drug dealers.

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The raids revealed that most of Possilpark’s dealers hide their drugs in small stashes in public spaces – in a big to avoid being caught via a stop and search.

In one close, which was raided, a bag of Valium containing around 30 pills was hidden high up within an electricity metre.

Officers had to use a ladder to reach the drugs which were undetected by a police sniffer dog because of their obscure location.

As raids were taking place on the popular shopping area, lines of young men stood in crowds in the street corners watching officers every move.

Some of the young men were questioned by police officers and searches took place before they moved on.

Cops, who were backed by community enforcement officers and the violence reduction taskforce, then turned their attention to the nearby bandstand which is also known locally as the beer garden.

A police cordon was set up as officers traced through the grassy area and turned over bricks in a bid to find the hidden drugs.

Chief Inspector Ross Allan, who is area commander for Glasgow North, said the drug dealers range in age from teens to older and accepted that the issue is a wide spread problem across the city.

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He said: “The focus of this operation was to target those who are dealing in drugs and profiting from this evil which impacts on everybody’s quality of life in the city and in Glasgow North.

“We have had weeks of preparation, a lot of community assistance and intelligence culminating in this high visibility operation.”

He added: “A number of members of the public have approached myself and other officers, and thanked us for doing this. But this isn’t a one off. This is a regular proactive operation.”

It is through intelligence gathered from Police Scotland’s own officers and the Possilpark community that operations like this are made possible.

Chief Inspector Allan said: “We have a historically strong relationship with people in Possilpark. They are really keen to give us proper intelligence.

“We can’t do everything ourselves, we are always looking seeking opportunities to impact drug misuse.

“The community are supportive of that and have been historically very helpful, and we are delivering that for them through this operation.”

The officers also targeted these areas because they have discovered drugs in the past in the same spots.

Chief Inspector Allan said: “We are using intelligence that we have got from the community from crimes that we have detected in the past to specifically search areas were we know they are historically hiding.”

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A promise was made by Chief Inspector Allan to keep police visibility up in the area in order to deter dealers.

He also urged the public to continue to provide them with information on dealers.

He said: “We are always aware of maintaining a high visibility presence in areas where there is a concern regarding any time of criminal activity.

“I am committed to ensure there is high visibility. We always urge people who have any concerns to contact us 101. We are committed to identify local problems and through our local community police officers, we will deliver local solutions.

“I can reassure you the police presence won’t end it will continue and continue.”

He added: “One small piece of intelligence can link into a really big picture. We operate more efficiently when we engaged with the community, and listen to them and act on their concerns.”