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LERWICK - The Shetland Islands, Britain's most northerly outpost and home of windswept wildlife and Viking folklore, are being swamped by a rising tide of illegal drugs as mainland dealers target remote communities.
The islands, which are home to around 22,000 people, enjoy near full employment thanks to the area's huge oil wealth - making it a key target for gangs from Liverpool and London.
Senior gang figures have already obtained a stranglehold over north-east Scotland. Now they have turned their eyes to Shetland, which stretches from Sumburgh Head in the south to the tiny island of Out Stack, Britain's most northerly extremity.
Over the last year, heroin with a street value of around £70,000 was seized by police.
Following some drug-related deaths on the islands, a new organisation was launched this month to combat the menace. Community Alcohol and Drugs Services Shetland (CADSS) wants the community to become more involved in tackling the problem.
Gill Hession, the head of Shetland's alcohol and drugs services, has acknowledged the islands are being targeted by dealers and admitted there has been an alarming increase in heroin use. Last year 4998 needles were exchanged.
"We have about 200 people who come to us for help, but that's probably not representative of the scale of the problem," said Karen Smith, drug and alcohol development officer with the Shetland Drug Action Team.
Alexander Cluness, an independent councillor for Lerwick, acknowledged the problem but warned those looking to expand their market by coming to the isles to watch out.
"It's easier to detect them. At airports and ports we've got sniffer dogs and the police are often warned in advance these people are coming. The detection rate on the island is really high."
Increased public awareness has meant that dealers, who have been offering "free samples" of heroin or methamphetamine to get people hooked, are being identified almost as soon as they arrive on the islands.
"Recently there's been quite a significant sea-change in public awareness and public opinion about drug issues," said Brian Gregson, chairman of CADSS. "People are starting to take notice after years of claiming drugs aren't a big problem in Shetland."
Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the centre for drug misuse research at Glasgow University, said rural communities were particularly vulnerable to the threat posed by the drugs trade.
"We're seeing the problem growing more rapidly in rural areas than in urban areas, and that's as a result of the decisions of those at the very highest level of the drugs trade."
Recently George Beardwood, 48, from Liverpool, was sentenced to five years in prison after trying to bring heroin with a street value of £11,000 into the isles.
"The whole of Grampian has been targeted by criminals down south but I think recent sentencing shows that Shetland shouldn't be regarded as a soft touch by those who deal drugs," said Malcolm Bell, who is the chief inspector for Lerwick and area commander for Shetland.
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