UPDATE: Two remanded in custody following Hawick £475k drugs seizure

Two men have appeared in court in connection with the seizure of almost £500,000 worth of drugs in Hawick this week.

Jevgeni Strelkov, 36, and Aleksei Golovan, 37, were remanded in custody following a private hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

They are both charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and producing controlled drugs.

Those charges follow police raids at three properties in Hawick on Monday – in Rosevale Street, Duke Street and Princes Street.

As well as cannabis with a total estimated street value in excess of £475,000, a four-figure sum of cash was seized.

Strelkov and Golovan, both giving addresses in Hawick, made no plea, and the case was continued for further examination.

Bail was refused, and they are expected to appear in court again next week.

Sergeant David Rourke, of the Borders’ council-funded police community action team, said: “Drug misuse brings nothing but misery to our communities, and I want to reassure people that we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to remove these illegal substances from the community.

“These efforts have continued throughout the ongoing pandemic and offenders should not believe themselves to be beyond the reach of the law.”