EIGHT people were arrested with £50,000 worth of heroin taken off Ayrshire’s streets last week as police warn there will be “no hiding place” for drug dealers.

It is estimated tha £20,000 in cash, and over 110,000 street Valium tablets, valued at £75,000 have been taken off the streets too.

A raid in Ayr’s Russell Drive saw amounts of crack cocaine seized as well as £1,700 in cash.

In Troon, a raid on a cannabis cultivation saw £100,000 worth of the Class B drug seized.

A 25-year-old male was arrested as part of the raid in the town’s Cessnock Avenue.

And a Liverpudlian gang operating in Ayrshire were busted with a dealing supply of Class A drugs and more than £12,000 cash recovered.

It comes as police launch Operation Designate which aims to target drug dealers and gangs involved in the drugs trade which blight communities across Ayrshire and target the most vulnerable.

Police have warned criminals that the operation will be here for the long haul, with dedicated teams of Pro-Active CID officers, working with local community officers and specialist officers drawn from national resources to crack down on the crimes.

Detective Inspector Ross Black, who heads up the Ayrshire Police Pro-Active Crime Team has told how they plan to disrupt the serious organised crime.

DI Black said: "Among the crimes that really matter to the public is drug dealing and they want us to keep cracking down on this.

“We work hard with our partners to disrupt those involved in serious and organised crime and 'Operation Designate' will focus on this issue, specifically targeting drug-dealing.

"This is why we are employing strategies and tactics aimed at catching those responsible, because of the trail of destruction they leave, making money from that destruction. We will use all the legislative powers that we have to disrupt the work of those who engage in drug dealing activity."

DI Black added: "The ongoing success of this operation is reliant on the co-operation and continued support of the public.

"I would like to thank those who have come forward with their concerns and community observations, which have allowed us to achieve the results we have in the last week.”

Chief Inspector Brian Anderson, Area Commander at South Ayrshire Police said: "The work of Operation Designate once again shows the commitment we are making to local communities in tackling the problem of those who deal in drugs and there will be no let-up in this.

"Recent successes demonstrate that our work in gathering information and intelligence is effective and I would repeat my previous appeal to the public to continue to work with us by reporting concerns they have around those involved in supplying drugs. We will act on this information and together we can reduce the misery that drug dealers cause."