Almost 3000 organised crime gang members have been arrested in Scotland in the last year.

There were 232 organised gangs operating in Scotland last year but that has now dropped to 196, according to Scottish Government figures released on Thursday.

Prosecutors say around £9m worth of criminal assets have been seized in the last year.

Meanwhile, £7m of counterfeit goods, including fake cigarettes, clothing, cosmetics and medicines, were retrieved over the same 12-month period.

The crime gangs are involved in a wide range of crimes including drug dealing, prostitution, the human trafficking of children for slave labour, fraud, money laundering, immigration crime and organised theft.

Despite the drop in crime syndicates operating in Scotland, more and more legitimate business are being used as a front for gangsters, it has been revealed.

The figures, released in the Scottish Government's annual report on organised crime, reveals 66% of gangs are involved in seemingly legitimate businesses.

The most common business types are licensed premises, restaurants, building and construction companies, shops, garage repairs and vehicle maintenance, taxis and nail bars.

More than 720 such businesses have been identified compared to just 650 last year.

The report states: "Serious organised crime groups (SOCGs) aim to use a variety of methods to try to conceal their criminal activities.

"One way of doing this is to try and legitimise their criminality through what appear to be legitimate or conventional businesses.

"Over the past year Police Scotland, in collaboration with local authorities, has supported licensing boards and committees to ensure that SOCGs are no longer able to secure licences through which they can perpetuate their criminal activities."

It added: "The private security industry in Scotland has historically been exploited by SOC. The security industry Authority (SIA) investigated a SOCG over a period of two years.

"The long-term operation resulted in two convictions under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. One individual received a fine of £3600 and costs of £12,000.

"Two businesses were liquidated, removing their ability to launder money."

It was highlighted that one of Scotland's "most harmful" organised crime gangs was dismantled in December.

Roy Dunstance, whose gang "presented a significant threat to the safety and well-being of communities in Scotland", was jailed for 11 years for a major drug dealing operation across Europe.

A total of 42 individuals linked to the syndicate were arrested and handed prison sentences totalling 146 years.

More than £9m worth of drugs was seized along with nearly £200,000 in cash, ten firearms and ammunition.

Police also targeted a gang involved in the trafficking of Vietnamese for cannabis cultivation and working in nail bars. A total of 23 nail bars were raised and nine victims of trafficking rescued.

Deputy chief constable Johnny Gwynne said: "Serious organised crime impacts on all our communities, does not respect boundaries or borders and constantly evolves to establish new ways of generating profits from illegal activity and all that comes with it including violence and intimidation.

"As a task force partner, Police Scotland is absolutely resolute in using all means at our disposal to undermine serious organised criminals regardless of what commodity they are plying: whether it's Class A drugs or new psychoactive substances; counterfeit goods or recommissioned firearms; human trafficking, or large-scale money laundering and fraud.

"Criminals are increasingly using cyber-technology to carry out their trade and as a collective, the task force and Police Scotland are doing all we can to ensure there is no hiding place for them - serious organised crime groups will find Scotland an increasingly hostile environment for them to operate in."

He added: "Our reach extends further than it has ever done. Whether you are a serious organised criminal with a base in Scotland, a network across the UK or connections in other countries, we will do all we can to put you out of business."

Justice secretary Michael Matheson said: "Since we refreshed our strategy last year there has been a significant amount of work, across a huge range of partners, to reduce the harm caused by serious organised crime to Scottish communities.

"The threat from serious organised crime continues to evolve and we are adapting our approach to try to meet these emerging threats head on.

"Tackling organised crime is about much more than police raids and court trials. We need to work collectively, in our communities to tackle the harm caused by serious organised crime, to stop the cycle of deprivation and, crucially, give those involved in these activities the chance to turn their lives around."

Lord advocate James Wolffe QC, said: "Prosecutors in Scotland have deprived crime groups and others who benefit from criminal activity of more than £100m since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into force.

"This legislation is an extremely powerful tool in the fight against serious organised crime. It has caused major disruption to crime groups and to individuals involved in serious organised crime by targeting their income and personal assets including their homes, cars and businesses."