Police have acknowledged the conviction of seven people who admitted being involved with the supply of drugs to the Highlands, with plans in place to flood the region with more than £600,000 of illicit substances.
Donald Dunbar, 61, Kenneth MacKenzie, 25, Sean Gordon, 28, Stephen Kelly, 31, and Karen Reynolds, 51, all from Glasgow, Danielle Finlay, 30, from Hamilton, and Keiran Adams, 28, from Clydebank, all admitted being involved in the supply of drugs between November 2018 and March this year.
The group appeared at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday.
The haul, which came after a police investigation into the organised supply line of drugs from Glasgow to Inverness, was made up of cocaine, heroin and etizolam.
Detective Inspector William Nimmo said: “These convictions serve as another example of our commitment to tackle the supply of drugs into the Highlands and Islands and to target those we suspect to be involved in the supply chain.
“This hopefully sends a clear message that whoever you are and wherever you are from, we will continue to proactively target anyone suspected of being involved in the supply of illegal and harmful drugs into our communities.
“We would also take this opportunity to remind people that information from local communities is absolutely essential to a successful investigation.
“We are grateful to the public for every piece of information we receive which is used to disrupt the trade in drugs and bring those responsible for supplying to justice.
“The drug trade often exploits the most vulnerable members of society so we all have an obligation to help protect each other by reporting any suspicious or harmful behaviour that may be happening in local areas.”
All seven are due to return to court in October where they will be sentenced.
Police have said that anyone with concerns over the abuse of controlled drugs, or with information over those involved in the supply of controlled drugs, are urged to dial 101 or to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.