Fear over illegal ‘dial-a-drink’ services in Scotland

Police have expressed concern over the growth of organised crime rackets that are running illegal alcohol delivery services across Scotland.

Illegal ‘dial-a-drink’ groups are a growing problem in Scotland, police have warned

According to an STV report, these groups advertise their services through websites and social media pages, selling illicit bottles to consumers at highly inflated prices.

Since it is illegal in Scotland to sell alcohol between 12am and 6am, the groups operate through the night. Police Scotland said it is now carrying out undercover operations to tackle the problem.

Authorities are becoming increasing concerned about the prevalence of so-called ‘dial-a-drink’ services since it came to light that deliveries had been made to addresses where violent and sexual attacks later took place.

Gangs are thought to be operating across Scotland, but are prevalent in Glasgow.

“You only have to look online to see how many outlets there are,” chief inspector David Pettigrew told STV. “It is a widespread problem and there are different levels of offender.

“You have your entrepreneur who will purchase large amounts of alcohol from a supermarket and sell it on at an inflated price. Then there are organised crime groups who buy large quantities of alcohol in bulk from cash and carries, and sometimes abroad, to sell on.”

Last month, a man and a woman were arrested in Glasgow in connection with one of the alleged gangs.