May 7, 2009: Drug Seizures Up In 2008

Last year, police and customs agents made 216,792 seizures of drugs in England and Wales. This was an increase of 17% over the previous year, and represents the largest number of drug seizures since records were first compiled on the issue in 1973.

Seizures were up in all classes of drugs, and in most major categories within those classes:

• For Class A drugs, cocaine seizures increased by 26%, crack by 9%, and heroin by 2%. Like the previous year, cocaine was the most commonly seized Class A drug.
• For Class B drugs, seizures increased by 4% overall, with amphetamine seizures increasing 5%.
• For Class C drugs, seizures increased by 20%, with herbal cannabis seizures increasing by 26%, seizures of cannabis plants increasing by 47%.

In terms of sheer volume, huge amounts of drugs were seized last year. Key seizure totals include:

• more than 3 tons of cocaine
• 1 ton of heroin
• 947,000 ecstasy tablets
• nearly 2 tons of amphetamines
• nearly 20 tons of herbal cannabis
• more than 16 tons of cannabis resin
• 508,460 individual cannabis plants

Policing and Crime Minister Vernon Coaker said the numbers were 'encouraging', noting that:

'Our aim is clear: We want fewer people to start using drugs, and of those who do use drugs, we are getting record number into treatment. I want to see these numbers continue to fall so that our streets and communities can be free from the crime and anti-social behaviour caused by drug misuse and drug dealing.'

For a detailed account of seized drugs from 2007-08,  see the Home Office statistical bulletin for seizures of drugs in England and Wales, 2007-08.