Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Police seize machine capable of producing millions of street valium pills a day

A 48 year old man has been arrested, Police Scotland said.

Pa Scotland Reporter
Friday 31 December 2021 09:52 EST
Police Scotland made the ‘significant recovery’ in the village of Salsburgh. (Peter Byrne/PA)
Police Scotland made the ‘significant recovery’ in the village of Salsburgh. (Peter Byrne/PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Police officers have seized a machine said to be capable of producing millions of tablets of the drug known as street valium every day.

The machine was found, along with thousands of tablets of etizolam when officers raided an industrial unit in the village of Salsburgh in North Lanarkshire.

A quantity of cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately £40,000 and £112,000 in cash were also seized as part of the operation.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested and charged, Police Scotland confirmed, and he is due to appear at Airdrie Sheriff Court on January 25.

The machine seized was capable of producing millions of etizolam tablets every day.

Detective Inspector Laura Sands, Police Scotland

Detective Inspector Laura Sands, from the serious and organised crime department, said: “This was a significant recovery by officers which has stopped large amounts of illicit drugs reaching the most vulnerable people in our communities.

“The machine seized was capable of producing millions of etizolam tablets every day.

“This targeted operation should send a very clear message this this type of illegal and harmful activity won’t be tolerated.”

She stressed however that police can not tackle the supply of drugs alone, staying: “We rely on the support of the public to help us build intelligence on any drug-related issues. Anyone with information about the supply of drugs should report it to police.”

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in