From Aberdeenshire Live, last week:

Fifty people have been charged in connection with a Police Scotland crackdown on illegal e-bikes in Aberdeen. The city’s Community Action Team identified 154 crimes during a three-week crackdown on illegal e-bikes, with dozens of people charged. Between Monday, May 18 and Friday, June 5, officers working on Operation Armour patrolled known crime hotspots, targeted offenders and gathered intelligence. The initiative followed an increase in reports from the public about illegal vehicle use across the city.

https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/50-people-charged-amid-huge-11007759

This is a further exacerbation of the county lines drug gangs plague, based in English cites, now into every corner of Scotland and apparent from as early as 2019 in Aberdeenshire.

On the same day, the P&J and Aberdeen Live had this:

Two men have been arrested and charged after a county lines drug bust in Aberdeen. On Monday, June 8, officers from Police Scotland raided a high rise flat block in the Grandholm Court area of the city.

Drugs with an estimated street value of £80,000 were recovered along with almost £4,000 in cash.Two men, aged 26 and 27, have since appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Tuesday, June 9 in connection with the recovery.Detective Constable Nick Bowyers said: “Working alongside other forces, we will continue to target and disrupt those involved in county lines drug supply from England to Aberdeen.“Illegal drugs cause misery in our communities and we will continue to use all available resources to ensure they are removed from our streets and that those involved in drug crime are apprehended.”

https://www.aberdeenlive.news/news/aberdeen-news/two-men-charged-after-police-11006512

How long does this sort of thing have to go back to be justifiably called a plague? Seven years do?

There are now any estimated 600 county lines based in English cities reported operating recently from Shetland to Dumfries and in villages as small as Tarves in Aberdeenshire.

What is the extent of the ‘misery?’

In the Express July 20th 2024, we read:

Knife crime epidemic rising faster in market towns after spread of county lines drug gangs. Knife crime is rising more rapidly in rural counties and market towns than in cities, a study has found. Although most of the police forces in the top 10 included large inner city areas, the study found offences were soaring at an alarming rate outside of urban regions.

What is the connection with the illegal e bikes?

They weave through traffic, use cycle paths/pavements, and are harder for police vehicles to pursue. Riders can escape on foot or abandon the bike if needed. Quiet electric operation aids stealth, especially at night. https://youtu.be/fpIwXwlGzRA

Examples:

Glasgow crackdowns where e-bike seizures coincided with Misuse of Drugs Act offences. https://theglasgowsplash.substack.com/p/police-seize-19-illegal-e-bikes-and

Edinburgh: E-bike rider stopped with Class A drugs and cash. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/crime/edinburgh-crime-police-stop-e-bike-rider-and-arrest-him-on-the-spot-after-making-discovery-4759730

Scottish Parliament debates and police note e-bikes used for drug dealing, alongside robberies, theft, and antisocial behaviour. Criminal networks exploit them for mobility in county lines-style operations or local supply. Some disguise as delivery riders (e.g., with bags). https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=16738&iob=142961

Evidence of the surge in e bike use in the same 2019 to 2025 period of county lines gang growth: Scottish Fire and Rescue Service recorded 13 fires involving e-bikes and e-scooters in 2025. This contributes to a broader rise in lithium-ion battery-related fires across Scotland (69 in 2025, up from 20 in 2019). https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/20/fire-experts-losing-sleep-over-growing-hazard-of-lithium-ion-batteries

Drug gangs and street-level dealers in Scotland and the wider UK are more likely to use dangerous, higher-speed modified (illegal) e-bikes. These provide clear tactical advantages for mobility, evasion, and quick operations compared to walking, cars, or standard bikes. https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2026/june/fifty-people-charged-following-crackdown-on-illegal-e-bikes-in-aberdeen/

Finally how are the bikes getting to Scotland? Port of Felixstowe (Suffolk, England): The UK’s busiest container port, handling a large share (around 40-48%) of containerised imports from China and Asia. It is the primary entry point for many consumer goods, including e-bikes, parts, and conversion kits. Trading Standards and authorities have seized thousands of unsafe/illegal e-bikes and e-scooters here in past operations. https://cyclingindustry.news/over-13000-unsafe-ebikes-and-escooters-seized-at-felixstowe-in-2-years/

Let’s see if the media operating Scotland begin to connect this new plague to its connections with county lines gangs now beginning to be recocgnized for what they are – English in origin and management and based on an inner-city crime culture of extreme violence emerging out of the larger cities in England and with no roots in Scotland.