Young people in Dumbarton and the Vale are the target of a new campaign which aims to highlight the harm drug dealers can inflict on communities.

Fearless, the youth service of Crimestoppers, is launching an online campaign with real-life cases to highlight how drug dealers prey on young people going through family problems and bereavement.

Lyndsay McDade, senior youth projects officer for Crimestoppers, said: “Last year 58 per cent of all the information we received from young people in Scotland related to drugs being sold in local communities.

“More and more young people are gaining the confidence to speak up to our charity in order to help prevent drug-related deaths and harm caused by dealers.

“Our charity is making a difference every day, but we need young people to support us to do this.

“We’re urging young people to continue to tell our charity who they know or suspect is responsible for manufacturing or dealing drugs.

“We can’t trace IP addresses or any contact details that could identify you. Nobody will ever know the information came from you.”

The campaign also raises awareness of the ways drug dealing gangs can exploit a young person by taking over their home to use it as a base to export drugs from bigger cities into smaller rural towns and villages – a practice known as “cuckooing”.

Humza Yousaf MSP, Scotland’s justice secretary, added: “Drug dealers cause misery that blights the lives of so many.

“It is absolutely vital that our young people are made aware of the lengths to which these criminals will go to exploit the vulnerable.

“As chair of Scotland’s serious organised crime taskforce, I welcome this campaign to raise awareness of the harm drug dealers can inflict on our communities.

“I would encourage young people to report anything suspicious to the police directly or through Fearless.org.

“If you see something say something.”

The crime charity is encouraging young people to speak up to make their communities safer by giving information online, completely anonymously, via fearless.org, where an online form takes only two minutes to complete.