DrugWise infographic on drug seizures (PDF)
Every year the UK Border Force intercept hundreds of shipments and people bringing illicit drugs into the country.
The police seize drugs already in the country, either smuggled, grown or manufactured here. The number and quantity of these seizures are recorded and published yearly by the Home Office in the form of statistical bulletins.
While the bulletins show what drugs are being reported and seized at the ports and on the streets, they reveal more about the activities of customs and the police than they do about what is actually available. For a full discussion of how these statistics should be interpreted see What do drug seizures tell us about availability?
The information below shows what was seized recently by the UK Border Force and police. Though the police make more seizures (hence arrests), these tend to be smaller quantities. Border Force seizures, on the other hand, tend to be much larger – the biggest exception being cannabis plants, which are mostly homegrown in the UK.
According to Home Office statistics, In England and Wales in the financial year ending March 2024:
police forces and Border Force made a total of 217,644 drug seizures in England and Wales, a 13% increase compared to the previous year (192,145). The increase was caused by a 6% increase in police force seizures and a 57% increase in Border Force seizures
police forces accounted for the majority (81%) of the 217,644 seizures, with Border Force accounting for 19% of seizures
Border Force seized a total of 105.73 tonnes of weighed drugs, which is the highest weight seized by Border Force since the series began in 1973 (98% of Border force seizures involved weighted drugs). Border force recorded their highest number of total seizures to date (40,639), a 57% increase from the previous year. These increases were mainly driven by herbal cannabis seizures
Border Force seized the largest quantity of powder cocaine (26.57 tonnes) since the time series began, a 75% increase from the previous year (15.22 tonnes)
the quantity of heroin seized decreased by 54%, from 950kg to 441kg, compared to the previous year. This is the lowest quantity of heroin seized since 1989. The total number of heroin seizures also decreased by 4%, from 6,385 to 6,102 seizures, making it the lowest number of heroin seizures since 1994
police forces and Border Force seized the largest quantity of herbal cannabis since the time series began in 1973. This was a 53% increase from the previous year (55.59 to 85.01 tonnes). This was mainly due to Border Force seizing the largest quantity of herbal cannabis since the series began (74.15 tonnes)
Border Force carried out the highest number of total cannabis seizures since the time series began in 1996 (34,446). This was largely driven by a 73% increase in the number of herbal cannabis seizures made by Border Force compared to the previous year (19,105 to 32,981) and a 49% increase in the number of cannabis resin seizures made by Border Force (781 to 1,164)
police forces and Border Force carried out the highest number of ketamine seizures since the time series began in 2006/07 (2,252). This was a 51% increase on the previous year (1,487)
police forces accounted for 81% of the number of seizures made in year ending March 2024, whereas Border Force accounted for a much larger proportion of the quantity of drugs seized (this included 94% powder cocaine, 91% cannabis resin, 87% herbal cannabis)
Updated January 2025