Scotland's drugs tsar has sparked a furious row by openly declaring that the war on drugs is "long lost". Tom Wood, a former deputy chief constable, is the first senior law enforcement figure publicly to admit drug traffickers will never be defeated. Wood said no nation could ever eradicate illegal drugs and added that it was time for enforcement to lose its number one priority and be placed behind education and deterrence. But his remarks have been condemned by Graeme Pearson, director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), who said he "strongly disagreed" with Wood. [continues 851 words]
SENIOR Customs officials have condemned Tony Blair and his Cabinet colleagues for their "spineless leadership" of the anti-drugs battle in Afghanistan, Scotland on Sunday can reveal. An explosive e-mail exchange accuses Ministers of taking "useless but safe" action against heroin producers, resulting in a predicted flood of the Class A drug on to the streets of Britain. The e-mails - which come from the very top of UK Customs - lampoon former defence secretary Geoff Hoon as "Buff Hoon" and describe ex-international development minister Clare Short as "a big mouth". [continues 826 words]
ROADSIDE tests are to be introduced by police forces throughout Scotland to catch the growing number of erratic and dangerous drivers under the influence of drugs. Suspects will be asked to perform tasks to test their motor skills. These include standing on one leg for 30 seconds and walking nine paces heel-to-toe in a straight line. The tests were introduced in Strathclyde on June 1 and will be adopted by Scotland's other seven police forces as soon as officers can be trained to conduct five "field impairment tests". These also include examining eyes, because pupil can be affected by drugs, asking drivers to touch the tips of their noses slowly with their index fingers and a Romberg test - tilting the head back with eyes closed and estimating a period of 30 seconds. [continues 407 words]
THE remote croft belonging to Andy MacRury, a sheep farmer, might be in bleak and windy Caithness, but his attic might as well be in Morocco. In the dry heat of his loft, a secret "field" has produced the lush new crop that he hopes will compensate for the dwindling income from his sheep. That new crop is cannabis and MacRury is one of a new generation of crofters growing it on an agricultural scale. It was farmers like MacRury who police constable Neil MacDonald, drugs officer for Caithness, had in mind last week when he told a conference about the scale of the new Highland agriculture. [continues 1041 words]
TWO powerful crime-fighting organisations are locked in a behind-the-scenes row with the Scottish government over plans for a drug enforcement agency. The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), the brains behind many anti-drug offensives, fears its independence could be compromised and has threatened to withhold its co-operation from the new agency. The Sunday Times has also obtained a confidential memo prepared for civil servants by Customs and Excise, which warns the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) could be open to corruption and says existing organisations could become "second class partners". [continues 686 words]
A MEMBER of staff at top security Shotts prison has been suspended amid allegations that he administered drugs, including the heroin substitute methadone, from the jail's pharmacy to prisoners without authority. Sources at the jail have claimed they understand that "thousands of pounds worth of drugs" cannot be properly accounted for and that senior staff were warned about the suspended man's alleged conduct by his colleagues six months before action was taken. Bill McKinlay, the governor of Shotts, denied both claims. [continues 423 words]
THE prisons minister for Scotland, Henry McLeish, will announce this week the contracts for two pilot electronic tagging projects. This will underline his intent to pursue a radical agenda on penal policy. The death in hospital yesterday of Mary Cowan, 27, from Glasgow, a remand prisoner awaiting sentence on shoplifting and bail charges who had been found unconscious in her cell at Cornton Vale on Friday, has emphasised the need for change, according to Scottish Office sources. Tagging will mean fewer people, particularly those vulnerable to suicide, being sent to jail. [continues 508 words]
FIGURES showing the number of prisoners testing positive for drugs at Shotts prison, one of Scotland's most secure jails, have been manipulated to mask a growing crisis, staff members claim. One prison officer said some prisoners were being selected for tests supposedly conducted randomly. They included older prisoners who were known not to be drug users. Some had been tested half a dozen times in just a few months. Shotts, with more than 500 prisoners, is believed to have one of the worst drug abuse records of any Scots jail. Staff said random tests in A Hall suggested up to 90% of prisoners there were abusing drugs. In B Hall, the rate was 85%. [continues 400 words]
