Cops say Inverness flooded with ‘endless supply of drug foot soldiers’ from Birmingham, Liverpool and London

Inverness police say they are battling gangs from Birmingham, Liverpool and London “every week” in an ongoing war against drugs.

Highland cops say that they are dealing with up to “six to nine” criminal gangs sending “foot soldiers” to Inverness to peddle drugs on regular basis.

They also revealed that each county lines gang operating out of Inverness is estimated to be making around £4,000 each day from selling illegal substances.

A detective even compared the problem to a game of “whack-a-mole”, trying to describe the futility of chasing them.

Cops delved into the alarming situation on the latest episode of Highland Cops, which aired on BBC Scotland.

The show featured the county lines drug epidemic which has taken further hold in Inverness, bringing increased violence and drug deaths.

‘Drugs have taken hold of Inverness’

Detective Constable Duncan Birse laid out the extent of the problem.

He said: “Being born and bred in the Highlands I assume most folk associate Inverness with the Loch Ness Monster and whisky.

“Probably most folk are unaware that actually we have a massive issue here with county lines drug dealing gangs.

“We are looking at six to nine groups operating at any one time from Liverpool or London or Birmingham.

“They will take over a vulnerable person’s house and use multiple addresses within the space of one day to avoid police detection.

“As a born and bred Invernessian it actually really sickens me that these county lines groups have taken such a hold of my home town.

“We can execute search warrants every week but sometimes it feels like you’re playing whack-a-mole. It does feel like these groups seem to have this endless supply of foot soldiers who can keep coming to Inverness to deal drugs.

“It’s something that we’re battling every week.”

Inverness drug issues ‘getting bigger and bigger’

The programme also follows officers intercepting a package of crack cocaine worth more than £15,000.

Officers can also be seen raiding homes and dealing with a local man who died of a drug overdose.

DC Birse added that the actions of the gangs are contributing to Scotland’s drug death rates which are the highest in Europe.

He added: “As the number of county lines groups are increasing that would suggest that the demand is increasing. Unfortunately what we are seeing is that the numbers of drug addicts are on the increase.

“I am meeting more drug users with each week that passes that I’m in this team.

“I do feel that the drugs issue is just getting bigger and bigger.

“We are strongly committed to try to make a difference in the war against drugs.”

Police Scotland’s North Division has recently expanded its team of officers to target county lines offenders leading to a rise in arrests and convictions.

Highland Cops is available to watch on BBC iPlayer here.