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Lorraine Tinney • Published 16 Aug 2010 14:00
A HIGH-PROFILE police drugs operation targeting rail and ferry links swung into action in Wemyss Bay.
Officers were joined by the police dog branch and members of the British Transport Police after undercover surveillance showed drugs being transported from Greenock, Paisley and Glasgow by train and across the water to the Isle of Bute.
Undercover police also staked out the CalMac ferry and the railway station during the crackdown on Friday night.
The clampdown was prompted after a Rothesay man was allegedly caught with £400 of cannabis in Wemyss Bay after getting off a train from Paisley.
Plain clothes officers were out on patrol and monitoring the station and passengers and cars coming off the ferry.
Constable Michael Allan, who led the operation, said: “We are aware drugs are being carried over to Rothesay via rail bus and ferry links.
“People are coming on the train from Glasgow, Paisley and Greenock, and drugs such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine are being transported to Rothesay.”
Police were on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously and targeted passengers boarding and leaving the ferry, as well as arriving and departing trains.
Police dog Gus and his handler Constable Lorraine Stewart were called in to aid the crackdown.
Constable Stewart said: “He is trained in passive detection for cash, drugs and firearms which means he sits beside the person when he finds something. This is a very effective method of detection and as a deterrent.”
Three Rothesay men heading for the ferry were searched, as was a Greenock man who tried to avoid police after arriving at the station. A woman who was with him had her bag searched but no drugs were recovered.
A 31-year-old Rothesay woman was later reported for being in possession of cannabis at the station.
Constable Bruce Fyfe, who is based on Bute, was looking for familiar faces during the crackdown.
He said: “There’s definitely a movement of drugs between Greenock, Paisley and the city to Rothesay.
“It’s mainly cannabis, heroin and cocaine. This initiative is about high visibility to reassure the public.”
Constable Allan said: “Even if this initiative deters anyone from using transport links, it has been a success.”
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 16 Aug 10
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