Two jailed after major 'cuckooing' drugs operation

Two men have been jailed after a high-profile operation into organised crime in the north east of Scotland.

Colin Stewart, 34, and Richard Cameron, 32, were sentenced to a total of almost six years.

A total of 53 people were charged during Operation Corner in a bid to tackle "cuckooing" and serious crime in Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

Cuckooing occurs when vulnerable people are targeted by drug dealers who use their homes to distribute drugs.

Stewart, from Aberdeen, was given a 47-month term and Cameron, who is from Fraserburgh, got 20 months for drug supply offences committed in both towns last year.

The pair appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after being arrested and charged in October.

During the 10-week intelligence-led Operation Corner, raids took place in Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

At the time, Fraserburgh - plagued by heroin in the 1990s - was facing what police officers described as an "influx of dealers" from the north west of England.

The sentences came as Police Scotland gave its support to a national Crimestoppers campaign to highlight the pain and suffering that criminals who come from outside Scotland can inflict on vulnerable people in rural and coastal towns.

The campaign focuses on "county lines" which often involves criminals from major cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, London and Birmingham expanding their drug networks to other areas, bringing with it serious criminal behaviour such as violence, exploitation and abuse.

Det Ch Insp Lorna Ferguson said: "The ultimate aim of Operation Corner was to focus on the activities of those involved in serious and organised crime at all levels, particularly those who were travelling to the north east to exploit vulnerable people living in Peterhead and Fraserburgh for their own financial gain.

"Cuckooing or county lines may not be new concepts but we were hearing from both communities that illegal drug activity was affecting their quality of life and increased activity was required to tackle this unwanted behaviour."

She said that police were committed to disrupting the activities of those involved in serious crime at all levels but that the operation also focused on the vulnerable people who assist these groups on a day-to-day basis.

She said: "It has always been recognised that some of these individuals are willing to undertake these roles for their own personal gain, but it is also important to recognise that some of these individuals are the victims of exploitation.

"We identified a number of people as victims of cuckooing with many of them requesting a referral to substance misuse services.

"Many people who refused help before were able to re-engage with the system, with others identified who were not known to us or our partners before."

Another man - Douglas Sandison from Fraserburgh - who was also arrested and charged during the operation pled guilty at the end of last year to drug-related offences and was sentenced to 44 months in prison.