BBC Scotland still struggling to say ‘County Lines’ or ‘England’ or any English city in a drugs report on the flood that is keeping our drug deaths high

Professor John Robertson OBA

From BBC Scotland South today:

A woman has been charged after a police discovered heroin worth an estimated £180,000 during a car stop in Dumfries and Galloway. Officers acting on intelligence stopped the car on the M74 near Lockerbie at 20:25 on Friday.

The 25-year-old was arrested and released on an undertaking to appear at Dumfries Sheriff Court at a later date. Det Supt Steven Elliott described the recovery as “significant,” adding: “Drugs cause misery in our communities and we are committed to disrupting their supply.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crkx0g016mmo

Now I know there are limits on what can be said about live cases but telling us if she was travelling north or south would be safe enough and that would tell us something important. I’d put money on it being north. Why do I say that?

A clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland and our still far too high drug deaths. Why are Scotland’s media ignoring that?

Professor John Robertson OBA

From BBC England yesterday, the above and:

Five members of a county lines drug gang known as the Scouse Dave Line have been jailed. A total of seven members of the organised crime group, which peddled crack cocaine and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth, were sentenced during the two-day hearing at Portsmouth Crown Court.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd92w0klwy8o

When I saw the word ‘scouse‘, I was reminded of this:

The 28 convicted as part of Operation Apollo in November 2023 – Cheshire Constabulary’s bid to dismantle Liverpool’s county lines drug gangs. (Image: Cheshire Constabulary)




My Google Alert on 14 February 2025, offered Operation Apollo continues crackdown on County Lines with over 300 years in jail time secured [by the above members] from Cheshire Constabulary. There’s no mention of Scotland in it but it triggered a memory in me. This from 2022:

A series of raids across Scotland last week highlighted the continuing focus of Merseyside’s organised crime groups on the drugs market north of the border. Last week officers from Merseyside Police teamed up with Police Scotland for raids in Peterhead, Aberdeen and in Knowsley. On Wednesday, November 2, Police Scotland raided an address in Peterhead where cocaine and heroin were recovered and a man and woman arrested.

Debate has been raging north of the border over how to handle drug-related deaths, which have remained high for a number of years and show little sign of significantly reducing. Scotland still has the highest number of drug deaths in Europe. In 2021, 1,295 deaths were linked to illicit drugs in Scotland, albeit down from 1,411 in 2020 which represented the highest number on record.

Liverpool based street gangs do not appear to have been phased by the misery, death and addiction on the streets of Glasgow and other Scottish cities and towns, however. In 2018, a National Crime Agency (NCA) annual strategic assessment said: “Significant serious organised crime connections exist between Scotland and the north west of England, predominantly Merseyside.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-drugs-gangs-still-eye-25476347

Was any of that reported by BBC Scotland, STV? I can find nothing.

The Liverpool Echo is making a clear causal connection between Liverpool drug gangs, the flood of cheap, more powerful, drugs into Scotland and our still far too high drug deaths. Why are Scotland’s media ignoring that?

To what extent is BBC Scotland informing us on the above dangers?

Here are their latest reports:

Nearly four years since they could last bear to tentatively [they don’t mention where the drugs are coming from] link Scotland’s drug deaths to the broad shoulders of the Union and its pockets stuffed with cheap new more powerful drugs killing addicts from Gretna to Thurso.

8 thoughts on “BBC Scotland still struggling to say ‘County Lines’ or ‘England’ or any English city in a drugs report on the flood that is keeping our drug deaths high

  1. £180,000 of drugs seized , yet the woman was released to appear later ?

    This is almost 1/3rd of the £600,000 SNP funds which required 3 arrests , a Murder Tent and years of investigation by Police Scotland yet the alleged perpetrator walks away unnamed and free to return at some future date .

    Is this what Kemi Badenough calls ”Two Tier Policing ” ?

    Liked by 2 people

    1. To be fair it’s two tier reporting – This woman will have no connection to independence, so no need for “it is thought this may well be X” or similar….

      Liked by 2 people

  2. BBC Scotland always struggle (it is intentional) to report something that would then offer extenuating circumstances for their, and others, (too) often ‘sensationalised’ reporting that they prefer when they are declaring that “Scotland has the highest drug deaths in Europe” as that is the kind of political headline, that is for them, (political) gold dust.

    As to STV well the ‘S’ represents Scottish does it not , so one would assume news was not only from a Scottish perspective but also was news that was defending Scotland in highlighting that not all was as it seems in this story on drugs in Scotland and too other stories as well.

    If England and their drug problem sees their media report on this significant factor i.e. County Line Drug gangs then why can the media here not also include this factor as well.

    Why not ?

    Well tis obvious as then it diminishes the #SNPBAD factor that most of the media here seek to promote on a loop.

    Today one of the big political Stories is about the Labour MP Dan Norris but on their BBC website the coverage is now diminishing in significance, yesterday when this story broke this was their Top story but now………..

    BBC Home page – this is now the fourth story on that page.

    England main page – not on that page. (they don’t do Politics on the man England page as that is only reserved for the main Scotland page as in #SNPBAD articles)

    UK main page – it is now the fifth story on that page

    UK Politics page – Not on that page.

    Yesterday, yes that is right yesterday this was their top story on their website but now it is sliding down the page soon to disappear.

    How long do any #SNPBAD stories sit on the pages of the BBC website which also includes rehashed new versions of the same story.

    This is 100% political by the BBC.

    The BBC Scottish Politics page has three positive stories on the Lib Dems in Scotland.

    Their top article, the second article and the third article are all #LibDemGood

    The Lib Dems !

    Who prior to Jamie Greene Tory MSP defecting to them yesterday, as the Lib Dems being considered by Jamie as best alternative to his former party the Tories , well now the Lib Dems have “An extra MSP means the Liberal Democrats get a seat on the Scottish Parliament bureau (its admin body) – increasing influence and gaining more speaking time”.

    Funny too how Sir Ed Davey compared the SNP and Reform UK party from
    “playing to the Populist playbook” as obviously Davey is another UK politician ignorant of what is happening in Scottish politics as the BBC reported that “the Liberal Democrats are moving closer to the SNP as they form a defensive wall against what they regard as “populism“.

    The two parties also did a deal on the budget – and you wonder what support the Liberal Democrats might provide to the SNP after the Holyrood election next year as they try to stand up to Reform UK“?

    Of course Sir Ed Davey would try to help his branch office party gain in the Scottish elections in 2026 over the SNP, but he needs to get his story straight with what the BBC have reported on his branch office , and also why would his branch office support a budget of the SNP Scottish government if they were ,the SNP, were as Davey says, “playing from the same populist playbook as Reform UK”.

    Mind you does Sir Ed Davey and his party not also play from a pro UK British Nationalist “populist playbook” when he addresses people in Scotland, as in declaring to us that the UK is best, Britain is best and often his Britain is synonymous with England is best (of all of the nations, and too the most dominant one within the UK) .

    Vote SNP in 2026 as a first step to eventually getting all of the facts in the news where you are and also to never have to hear lies from the likes of Sir Ed Davey.

    Liz S

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Dan Norris story now on BBC website.

      BBC Home page – not in the top main articles but at the bottom of the Home page under ‘More ‘Top’ stories.

      BBC England main page -still nothing on there re this English Labour MP

      UK Main page – now it’s jumped down to the 7th story (was their 5th article this morning)

      BBC UK Politics page – now 4th story on that page (this morning when I checked it was not on that page).

      Scottish Politics page now has the top, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stories all about the Lib Dems and none of these stories are #LibDemBad. (two of the articles are on Jamie Greene’s defection to the Lib Dems.

      Vote SNP in 2026 etc etc

      Liz S

      Liked by 1 person

  3. The Scottish Gov are funding proper total abstinence rehab facilities. £250million over five years. That will bring drug deaths down. Crime is linked to alcohol & drugs. Most crime is committed under the influence of alcohol & drugs. Poverty is a result of alcohol and drug misuse. Rehab is cheaper than prison. Making people well. MUP saving people’s lives.

    Westminster bad, poor policies holding Scotland back. Proper rehab is cheaper than prison. Or remand. Poverty is the result of alcohol & drug misuse. Too many people on the spectrum are in prison with little support. Undiagnosed or no support. Lack of diversity knowledge. Strategies can be put in place to help.

    Liked by 2 people

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