90 cops .. 4 tower blocks ..14 arrests .. pounds 30,000 drugs seized ..1 successful dawn raid HIGH RISE HIT SQUAD; EXCLUSIVE.

Byline: Janice Burns

COPS yesterday launched a series of raids on four tower blocks, seizing drugs worth pounds 30,000 and arresting 14 suspected dealers.

Those arrested are now facing more than 100 drug dealing charges after being snared by 90 officers in the co-ordinated dawn raids in a Glasgow scheme.

The bust, codenamed Operation Beach, netted around pounds 30,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, diazepam, cannabis and a suspected firearm.

It came after a threemonth surveillance and undercover probe by the major crime and terrorism unit, CID and community and drugs squad officers from other divisions.

Smash

The Record joined police as they stormed seven properties in four 24-storey tower blocks in Tarfside and emerged with 14 suspects in handcuffs.

Vanloads of officers in riot gear piled into the buildings before using battering rams to smash their way into the flats and making their arrests.

Operation Beach was part of Strathclyde Police's crackdown on violence and serious and organised crime groups.

Last night police praised local people for helping them rid the area, which is next to Cardonald College, of the scourge of drugs.

Detective Inspector Pat Campbell said: "We are absolutely delighted with the results of our operation and months of hard work.

"We have smashed an organised crime ring. Those arrested will be locked up and the reassurance this will give the good people of the area will be immense.

"They realise we are here to support them and help them rid their area of drugs.

"Thanks to the co-operation of the local people and the community police we were able to infiltrate this network of dealers flooding the area with drugs.

"To have such a large number of dealers in such a concentrated area is quite astounding and they have been working together for about a year.

"We reckon that they were dealing up to half a kilo of heroin and cocaine per week, which equates to pounds 20,000 a week.

"It was through a three month investigation and sustained intelligence phase that we managed to infiltrate this network and gain their trust.

"We already seized a large amount of drugs during that time, including crack and rock cocaine.

"They have only recently been brought into the area and were readily becoming available.

"Drugs dealers by their very nature are paranoid and it is always difficult to infiltrate networks, especially when they are all working together.

"Tarfside was a hotspot for illegal drugs and crime but it is much safer now the dealers are locked up."

Dealers

Now police chiefs will concentrate on bringing down the drug barons who supply these dealers.

And communities inspector Fiona Carmichael insisted that the raids were "just the start" of their purge on drugs there.

She said: "This is just the beginning of our efforts to keep drugs out of the area.

"There are a lot of drug addicts who rely on their fix from these dealers but we are going to make it as difficult as possible for them to get their hands on drugs.

"The people of Tarfside are fed-up with the situation and the success of this operation is down to them standing up to the dealers."

Those arrested are expected to appear today at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Cops made 99 arrests over a week in a string of crime-ravaged areas.

Operation Cleansweep targeted Milton, Possil and Wyndford in north Glasgow.

Police said 26 arrests were made for possession of drugs and 63 for anti-social behaviour.

CAPTION(S):

7am Vanloads of officers arrive at the four blocks of flats in Tarfside to carry out the drug raids. They had been split into teams and briefed at Govan police station earlier 7.15am Officers begin making their arrests and removing suspects from flats. 7.05am Within minutes the cops are smashing their way into seven properties in the four tower blocks. 10am Forensic officers who remained at the scene carry out detailed searches of the flats and uncover a large quantity of drugs. 8am Suspects are taken to waiting vans before being taken away for questioning. RAM RAID: Cops in riot gear smash their way into one of the flats targeted during the major operation yesterday morning