Seizures of Drugs and Drug Use, 2007-08

Statistics on number of seizures made and the quantity seized include data for England and Wales for the period up to the end of the 2007-08 financial year. The latest release updates the statistics previously released for 2006-07. Statistics on drug misuse are from the 2007-08 British Crime Survey.

The key points for Wales are:

• In 2007-08, there were 13,100 drug seizures made by Welsh police forces, an increase of 23 per cent compared with 2006-07 and the highest in 10 years.
• South Wales Police had the highest seizure rate at 5,300 per million population, followed by Dyfed-Powys at 4,300 per million. Gwent Police had 3,600 seizures per million population and North Wales had 3,500. South Wales Police saw the largest increase in the number of seizures compared with 2006-07, at 42 per cent.

Class A drugs

• There were 3,400 seizures of Class A drugs by Welsh police forces in 2007-08, including 1,100 seizures of heroin, 1,100 seizures of cocaine and 1,100 seizures of ecstasy-type drugs.
• South Wales saw the highest rate of seizures of cocaine, crack, heroin, methadone and ecstasy-type drugs, while Dyfed-Powys had the highest rate of seizures of LSD.

Class B drugs

• There were 1,400 seizures of Class B drugs by Welsh police forces in 2007-08, 99 per cent of which were of amphetamines. South Wales Police had the highest rate of amphetamine seizures per million population, followed by Gwent.

Class C drugs

• There were 9,100 seizures of Class C drugs by Welsh police forces in 2007-08, 97 per cent of which were of cannabis.
• Of those cannabis seizures, Dyfed-Powys had the highest seizure rate per million population, at 3,500, followed by South Wales, at 3,200. Gwent Police had a seizure rate of 2,700 and North Wales had a rate of 2,400.

Quantity

The following quantities of drugs were seized by Welsh police forces in 2007-08:

• 11 kilograms of heroin;
• 11 kilograms of cocaine;
• 25,000 doses of ecstasy;
• 30 kilograms of amphetamines;
• 93 kilograms of herbal cannabis;
• 67 kilograms of cannabis resin;
• 30,000 cannabis plants.

British Crime Survey

• According to the British Crime Survey, 9 per cent of 16 to 59 year olds reported having used drugs in the last year, including 2 per cent reporting use of Class A drugs. These proportions give an estimated 150,000 persons aged 16 to 59 using drugs and 40,000 using Class A drugs.
• For 16 to 24 year olds, these proportions rise to 20 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively, giving an estimated 74,000 young people reporting the use of any drug in the last year and 26,000 using Class A drugs.

Note:
Figures given for South Wales Police are provisional and subject to revision.

Drug seizures given here do not include seizures by HM Revenue and Customs, Serious and Organised Crime Agency or the British Transport Police.

Further information

Home Office website: Drug seizures

Home Office website: Drug use prevalence

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5061
E-mail: stats.inclusion@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

November 2009 (provisional - to be confirmed on the 'Due Out Soon' page)