Police have seized heroin and crack cocaine worth almost £6,000 from homes in Elgin as part of a crackdown on a gang operating in the area.
The haul of Class A substances was confiscated during raids and 10 people – some believed to be linked to a Merseyside drugs ring – have been arrested.
Chief Inspector Stewart Mackie said the operation would have a “significant effect” on the dealers who have flooded Moray and the surrounding area with drugs.
He said: “We have recovered a dealer quantity of heroin and what appears to be crack cocaine.
“Seizures like that do have a significant impact on the crime groups affecting us in Moray and the north-east.
“But we are not complacent, and we appreciate that criminals will continue to target this area.”
Specialist teams from Aberdeen, Inverness and Fraserburgh joined local officers to swoop on properties in Elgin on Friday.
An alarming stash of weapons – including machetes, baseball bats and a crossbow – were also seized and six men were arrested.
Later the same day, officers snared four others and discovered heroin and crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £5,890.
They also seized £300 in cash they believe was drugs money.
Three men, aged 39, 23 and 19, and a 23-year-old woman appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday on drugs charges.
A total of 10 properties were targeted, at Fulmar Road, Meadow Crescent, Munro Place, Morriston Road, Croft Road, High School View, Moss End Place and McMillan Avenue.
Sergeant Scott Brander, who organised the operation, said: “Elgin and the wider Moray area is not immune to the drug issues that the rest of the country faces.
“We have taken this action to show that we will act on the information provided to us by the public and will continue to do so.”