POLICE have seized tens of thousands of pounds worth of drugs after raiding a Johnstone flat.
Officers swooped on the property in Maple Drive in response to an anonymous tip-off from a member of the public about suspicious activity taking place there.
Three men were seen moving items between a flat and a white Transit van parked outside at around 2am on Wednesday, June 17.
There was also a report of suspicious activity taking place around a Volkswagen Golf that was parked nearby.
When police arrived at the scene, the suspects had disappeared but the area was quickly secured.
Uniformed officers from the area’s community policing team, armed with a search warrant, then swooped on the property on Wednesday night.
The raid was delayed due to a request for Renfrewshire officers to help out with an operation in Glasgow’s George Square, where a number of people were arrested after far-right loyalists targeted a refugee poverty rally.
Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of more than £43,000 were seized by officers as the investigation in Maple Drive continued into Thursday.
A total of 36 plants were recovered from a cannabis farm inside the flat, with another 36 discovered in the Transit van.
Inspector Kayley Teasdale, head of community policing for Renfrewshire, thanked the anonymous Johnstone resident who alerted officers to the activity in Maple Drive.
She told The Gazette: “Information about these activities is absolutely critical to allow us to act on what is going on in the community.
“Our officers do carry out regular patrols but they cannot be everywhere all the time, so it’s very important for us to get information from the public to help us tackle the issue of drugs.
“The Renfrewshire pubic have always been good at coming forward with information and they do not have to leave their details if they do not wish to.
“I would like to thank the person who made us aware of the activities in Maple Drive because they have helped to take a significant amount of drugs off the street.”
Police have said enquiries to identify and trace the three men who were seen acting suspiciously in the area are ongoing.
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