Police chiefs have warned that Shetland is in the grip of a major heroin problem and that the islands are being targeted by drug gangs.
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Sutherland said the isles had a “specific issue” with the Class A drug.
But he warned that the police were “very successful” at catching criminals who “target” the northern isles, because there were only certain routes the criminals used to bring substances in from the mainland.
Concerns have been raised about heroin use on Shetland for several years, with police regularly seizing the drug and dealers routinely appearing in local courts.
The Press and Journal reported on Saturday that Det Chief Insp Sutherland had raised concerns that the use of crack cocaine was becoming an “emerging issue” in the Inverness area.
Asked if there were other parts of the Highlands and islands with specific problems, he said: “I think I’d have to mention that Shetland has a specific issue around about heroin.
“What I would say is, it’s like anywhere else in the Highlands and islands, if people see there is a market for it, they will target that area.”
However, the top drugs officer in the region believed the police were disrupting the flow of illegal substances north.
“What I would say about Shetland, because of the defined routes in, we’re very, very successful at dealing with it,” Det Chief Insp Sutherland said.
“You probably see stuff in the media regularly about people from different parts of the country going up there, taking drugs up there, but generally speaking a huge amount of them get caught, and generally speaking, they get significant jail sentences and they get put off the island.
“We’ve got very good processes up there, local policing up there along with support from specialist units.
“That’s a good news story for me. I’m not saying there’s not a problem, there is obviously an issue, but it’s a good news story for me the amount of activity that takes place up there, and the amount of people that get put through the court system.”
Det Chief Insp Sutherland said that gangs from Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Aberdeen and Glasgow were all targeting the drug market in the Highlands and islands.