Five people have been charge and a significant quantity of heroin along with other drugs including cocaine with an estimated street value in excess of £5,000 has been recovered by police in East Lothian during a large-scale operation targeting drug dealing in the communities of Musselburgh and Prestonpans.
As part of the most recent phase of Operation Fusion, local officers acting on intelligence executed search warrants at addresses in Preston Terrace, Gardiner Road, High Street, McGregor Pend, North Grange Avenue and New Street, Prestonpans, in addition to Delta Drive, Musselburgh, over Thursday 4th and Friday 5th February.
Other recent activity under Operation Fusion saw officers attend at an address in Bankfoot, Prestonpans, where one man was arrested and a quantity of heroin and cocaine was seized.
These illegal substances have now been taken off the streets of East Lothian and police are confident the chain of supply in the local area has been disrupted.
A 45-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman have been charged with drug offences and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday 8th February.
A 32-year-old woman was also charged in connection with possession of class A drugs during the same incident, as well as attempting to pervert the course of justice.
A 29-year-old man and a 26-year-old man will also be reported to the Procurator Fiscal and will appear in court at a later date.
A number of local officers took part in the operation over a period of two days, which came about as a direct response to concerns raised by East Lothian residents.
Chief Inspector Matt Paden, Local Area Commander for East Lothian, said: “This was a highly successful operation which resulted in a substantial amount of harmful substances being removed from our streets along with thousands of pounds worth of cash.
“Through some excellent police work and vital information from the East Lothian community, we have arrested a number of people and undertaken community reassurance work. This will include inputs at local schools over the coming weeks.
“Drug crime is one of the priorities for police in East Lothian and I hope that it goes without saying that we treat anyone involved in this illegal trade with the utmost seriousness, and we will use all resources at our disposal to ensure they are arrested.
“We will always act on intelligence that is passed to us and are committed to ensuring drug dealers are swiftly brought to justice. We will continue to act on all intelligence provided to us and I would like to thank the public for raising their concerns.
“I would encourage anyone who has information on drug dealing in their area to contact police as soon as possible on 101 or the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
