By Gemma Fraser
Head of content
More than half a million pounds worth of drugs has been recovered by police at Scotland’s maritime gateway to Ireland.
Officers working at the Port of Cairnryan in southwest Scotland have made 42 drug recoveries between 2021 and April this year.
The majority of the seizures were cannabis, with the largest quantity weighing 39kg and valued at £171,600.
Cairnryan, just north of Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, is operated by P&O Ferries and, along with Loch Ryan, is the nation’s main port carrying passengers and goods between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The two terminals combined represent the third busiest port in the UK for carrying goods to and from Ireland.
But it is also a route which appeals to organised crime gangs, as it has fewer security checks than international entry points.
Just under half of all drugs recovered by Police Scotland in the past five years were seized in 2021 – shortly before Brexit regulations were tightened up.
The figures, released to 1919 following a freedom of information request, reveal 104 ‘immature plants’ were confiscated by police, as well as a number of reefer cigarettes.
Other than cannabis, smugglers have been caught with a range of drugs at the port, including cocaine, amphetamines and tramadol.
“We work across Scotland’s ports to prevent and detect criminal activity, maintain national security and counter the threat from organised crime activity and terrorism”
Officers also seized 98,550 tablets of alprazolam – a Class C controlled medicine – and 50,000 zopiclone sleeping pills.
Other large discoveries made by officers include cannabis hauls of 18.3kg, 25kg and 28kg with an estimated combined value of £287,000.
Detective Inspector Steven Kirkland said: “We work across Scotland’s ports to prevent and detect criminal activity, maintain national security and counter the threat from organised crime activity and terrorism.
“Working in partnership with key agencies, we are focused on disrupting serious and organised crime and ensuring that our ports remain a hostile environment for those seeking to exploit our borders for illegal purposes.
“Through visible and proactive policing, officers are committed to safeguarding the thousands of passengers that travel through our ports every day.
“By using intelligence-led policing and targeted enforcement activity, we continue to protect critical entry points and keep communities safe.”
In April, a suspected cannabis haul with an estimated street value of £4 million was seized in Northern Ireland in a cross-border police operation.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) worked with An Garda Siochana on the operation, in which the suspected cannabis was found hidden in boxes on a lorry travelling from Scotland to Larne.
Police said they believed the drugs were intended to supply “various organised crime groups across the island of Ireland”.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Finlay Carson, described the seizure figures as “shocking”, pointing to Scotland’s “shameful” drug deaths record.
He added: “The 11 suspected drug deaths recorded in Galloway and West Dumfries in recent months show the devastating toll this crisis is continuing to take on local communities and families.
“The SNP government must work far more closely with UK, Northern Irish and Irish authorities to strengthen cross-border cooperation and ensure Police Scotland has the resources needed to crack down on organised crime gangs exploiting this route.
“The Scottish Conservatives have consistently argued for a stronger recovery-focused approach to support those struggling with addiction through a Right to Recovery Bill.
“That would be a potential game changer to help break the cycle of addiction, instead of simply managing its consequences.”
The Scottish Government has published a new long-term Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan, building on the previous National Mission on Drugs.
Justice Secretary Neil Gray said: “I want to thank Police Scotland for their hard work on enforcement action which continues to disrupt the activities of those involved in serious organised crime, particularly in the seizure of illegal drugs.
“Disrupting organised crime is a priority for the Scottish Government and all those on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, with recorded crime down by half since 1991.
“Scotland led the way on this issue by establishing the Scottish Crime Campus over a decade ago, to ensure the main law enforcement agencies work together to target those who profit from serious organised crime.
“They are to be commended for their notable success, including the seizures at Cairnryan Port, with the number of senior organised crime group members in prison indicative of such.”