The Ulster Unionist Party’s Upper Bann MLA Jo-Anne Dobson has praised the actions of Police officers which led to the seizure of up to £1 million of drugs in Portadown.
Mrs Dobson said,
“I am delighted that the Police have seized almost £1 million of drugs from what they described as “a very sophisticated cannabis factory” in Church Street in Portadown.
“I understand the seizure was prompted by suspicions raised by officers on foot patrol in the area and once again this highlights the importance of having officers out on the beat in local communities.
“It is a sad fact of modern life that virtually no district, town or village in Northern Ireland is immune from the scourge of drugs.
“Those who seek to make money by peddling these evil substances have no regard for the misery it can cause to young people and the affect it has on their families and communities. It is important that we all work together to combat drugs in our communities, but I am acutely aware of the difficulty of raising public awareness while not glamorising the issue of drugs to our young people.
“I would urge the entire community to give total support to the Police and to pass on any information about any illegal or suspicious activity involving drug dealing in their areas. We must help the Police to clear our streets of those evil dealers of misery and offer no hiding place for their illegal activities. That will help reduce the supply of illegal drugs and we must all as a community work to educate our young people to reduce the demand.”