Man, 39, in court after £250k heroin bust

He was among five people arrested following police raids on a series of properties in Galashiels on Tuesday evening.

Officers swooped on a flat in Laidlaw Court where the class A drugs, with a street value of more than £250,000, were found.

Around 7pm on Tuesday, police – acting under warrant – entered a total of seven properties in the town and seized drugs, cash and electronic equipment.

The other properties were in Church Street, Clapperton Place, Glendinning Terrace, Halliburton Place, Hawthorn Road and Meigle Street.

The intelligence-led operation involved officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, Specialist Departments and the local Community Action Team.

At Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday, Michael Dodds, 39, who gave an address in Galashiels, appeared in private, charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin to another and possession of cocaine, also a class A drug.

He made no plea and the case was continued for further examination.

Dodds was granted bail.

Four other men – aged 24, 28, 32 and 43 – will be the subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with drugs offences.

Detective Chief Inspector Bryan Burns of Police Scotland said: “This is a significant seizure and demonstrates our determination to rid our streets of drugs.

“Through effective intelligence gathering, the help and support from the local community, we continue to cause considerable disruption to the supply of drugs in the Scottish Borders and associated organised crime.

"We will continue to investigate those who profit from, and care nothing for, the misery that drugs bring to individuals, their families and communities."