Serious organised crime police find gun in wooded area
GooglePolice Scotland's serious and organised crime unit have discovered a gun in Edinburgh.
Specialist officers searched a wooded area near Niddrie Mains Road on Thursday and recovered a firearm and ammunition.
A spokesperson said it was unclear if the weapon had been used in a crime, but it will now be forensically analysed.
The recovery is part of ongoing investigations into serious and organised crime across the central belt of Scotland.
The discovery is not part of Operation Portaledge - a crackdown following a feud between rival criminal gangs in Glasgow and Edinburgh which erupted last year.
Det Ch Insp George Calder said: "This recovery will be a significant blow to organised crime groups, I have no doubt this firearm would have been used in violence, which would have resulted in serious injury, or worse.
"I hope this latest find helps to reassure the community of our continued resolve to target those involved in organised crime and demonstrates our commitment to dismantling these groups.
"The public may not always see what we are doing but rest assured a significant level of work is ongoing to disrupt these criminal networks. We are never complacent when it comes to serious organised crime."
