ALMOST £100,000 worth of illegal drugs were taken off the streets of Clydebank in a month-long operation by Police Scotland.

Kilos of cocaine, amphetamine and herbal cannabis were recovered in four house raids carried out by the proactive police unit in West Dunbartonshire.

The first search on September 18 saw £74,000 worth of herbal cannabis recovered at a house in Jean Armour Drive. A total of 7.5kg was recovered from the Drumry home and five people were arrested. The four men and one woman were reported to the procurator fiscal for allegedly being concerned in the supply of drugs.

A second house search on September 18 in the Whitecrook area saw a further £11,000 worth of drugs recovered including cocaine, amphetamine and herbal cannabis.

The raid resulted in one woman and three men also being reported to the procurator fiscal under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Another two Whitecrook properties were targeted in the operation, with 13.7g of herbal cannabis seized from a home on Brown Avenue on October 1.

The following day, cannabis with a street value of £11,000 was uncovered during a search of a flat on Whitecrook Street.

Finally on October 5, police officers also recovered £1,000 cash from a house on Stuart Drive, Hardgate, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The Clydebank raids were part of a larger operation which saw 31 properties searched throughout West Dunbartonshire and Helensburgh over a four-week period.

The operation saw 42 people arrested for a range of drug-related crimes, whilst a quantity of weapons was also recovered along with around £7,000 of cash.

Collectively the drugs seized by L Division West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute amounted to £180,000.

Detective chief inspector Calum Young, from L Division CID, said: “This operation is not a one-off targeted activity, it is 'the norm’ within the division and provides an insight into the work our officers do on a daily basis to tackle drug crime.

“The consistent message we get from the local community is that drugs and drug dealing are key concerns. I would hope these results go some way to providing the community with a clear message that we do listen and are focused upon tackling drug crime.

“The local community play a vital part in our work by providing us with intelligence and I would continue to urge anyone with concerns about drug activity in their area to get in touch.

“No matter how insignificant you think your information might be, if you provide us with information we will do our utmost to develop that information and target those individuals.

“Contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where all callers remain anonymous.”