There’s no mention of England in James Cook‘s report nor is there in the fuller report on the BBC Scotland website. This is political. The drug-related death statistics coming out this Wednesday 23 September are, it seems, expected to show an increase and that is being connected to new more powerful synthetic opioids like Nitazene.

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In both reports, there are attempts to locate the supply in Scotland and avoid the real story, below.

Is there evidence in other sources that these gangs are based in large cities in England?

NOTE - In an effort to respond quickly and to present an unbiased report [James Cook has accused me of such on this matter not to mention having 'lost my marbles' - see below], this is heavily AI-assisted in terms of locating sources.

There is supporting evidence that groups involved in the wider UK nitazene and synthetic-opioid trade often operate from large English cities, and that the county-lines model is used to move drugs into Scotland. https://theconversation.com/there-has-never-been-a-more-dangerous-time-to-take-drugs-the-rising-global-threat-of-nitazenes-and-synthetic-opioids-247268

From the National Police Chiefs Council (for England & Wales and with Police Scotland in attendance):

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The above graph makes clear the hard evidence that four major police forces in England have the evidence of a significant flow of drugs into Scotland by criminal groups in their areas. Notably, the reported presence of these gangs in 50 locations, from Thurso to Aberdeen and down to East Ayrshire, is not mapped in detail. There are 6 544 County Lines across the UK so around 650 in Scotland.

Contrary to the hopes and messaging of most Scottish media, this confirms that much of Scotland’s drug problems are at root a consequence of the activities of gangs based in English cities surging in the last 6 to 8 years.

It is then a legitimate question to ask, has the decline in drug deaths in Scotland been obstructed by this activity.

Remember, that this flow of drugs is not like legitimate trade but is driven by extreme violence at a level not familiar to Scotland.

From the report, this statement conforms that all of these gangs originate in England and that they bring with them ‘greater levels of violence.’

According to the report, 3 out of every 4 offenders were linked to the use of weapons. In one month, 96 firearms and 466 knives were seized. There were 467 sexual offences.

This next statement reinforces the evidence that Scotland, along with some parts of England and Wales, only import and that their police forces are amongst the most ‘impacted.’ I’m sure you can imagine yourself just what ‘impact’ might mean.

Source:

^{https://www.npcc.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/publications/publications-log/national-crime-coordination-committee/2025/county-lines-strategic-threat-risk-assessment-fy-2024-25.pdf}

Documented English-city activity includes:

• A large pill-pressing operation in north London (Waltham Forest and Enfield) that produced the UK’s biggest nitazene seizure at the time (about 150,000 tablets) and led to 11 arrests. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67505686
• A 2023 outbreak of nitazene-related deaths concentrated in Birmingham, with later seizures and at least one West Bromwich dealer jailed for supplying nitazene-laced drugs via county lines. https://theconversation.com/there-has-never-been-a-more-dangerous-time-to-take-drugs-the-rising-global-threat-of-nitazenes-and-synthetic-opioids-247268
• Further cases and deaths linked to dealing or mixing in Manchester, Leeds and Reading. https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/drug-supplier-linked-to-nitazene-deaths-admits-also-making-more-than-5-000-indecent-images-of-children

Police Scotland has separately said it is targeting county-lines groups from English cities (including Liverpool, London and the Midlands) that supply crack, heroin and other drugs into the Highlands and north of Scotland. Those operations involve city-based groups sending people north, cuckooing addresses and running deal lines. That is the same supply model often cited for fortified heroin that now sometimes contains nitazenes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy0xdxdl40o

More on James Cook, my ‘marbles’ and, if you’re reading this, yours too, I suppose:

Why I blocked James Cook – Losing an argument, he suggests that those who criticise him are mentally unstable

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