Levels of cocaine seized by Derbyshire police double in the last year

Across England and Wales the amount of cocaine seized by police forces doubled last year. However, fewer seizures by the UK Border Force meant there was an overall fall in confiscated cocaine.

Figures from the Home Office show 7.2 kilogrammes of powder cocaine were seized by Derbyshire Constabulary in 245 operations in the year to March 2023. This was up double from a year earlier, when 3.3 kilogrammes were seized.

Police forces across England and Wales have seen powder cocaine seizures double – 3,360 kilogrammes were seized in the year to March, up from 1,680 kilogrammes the year before. This was cancelled out by a drop in seizures by the UK Border Force of nearly 1,900 kilogrammes, with 15,219 kilogrammes confiscated over the same period. As a result, there was a small drop in the amount of cocaine taken from criminals last year – despite being the second highest volume on record.

National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for drugs, Chief Constable Richard Lewis, said the increase in seizures by police forces was "a real positive". "By taking more drugs out of circulation, we are stripping organised criminals of their assets and preventing them from investing the profits into further, more dangerous and harmful crime," he said.

Mr Lewis continued: "Cocaine is a highly addictive substance and vulnerable users can often find themselves caught up in a dangerous cycle of exploitation – which is why there is also ongoing work to prevent drug use, highlight the dangers and empower our communities to report suspicious activity."

The figures include other illegal substances seized by police forces. There were 2,102 drug seizures by Derbyshire Constabulary last year, a fall from 2,328 the year before. This included the confiscation of 1,307 cannabis plants, 52.3 kilogrammes of herbal cannabis and 1.4 kilogrammes of cannabis resin. The force also seized 720 grams of crack cocaine.

Minister for crime, policing and fire Chris Philp said: "This government takes a zero-tolerance approach to both supply and possession of illegal drugs and I am grateful to the dedicated Border Force and police officers for protecting our communities from these dangerous substances."