How many drugs are seized by customs?

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 following summary is from the latest Home Office statistics figures, which show drug seizures across England and Wales have reached record levels in the year ending March 2025.

Overall Seizures

  • 269,321 drug seizures were made by police and Border Force, this is the highest number since records began in 1973.
  • A 24% increase compared with the previous year.
  • Police forces accounted for 75% of all seizures, with Border Force responsible for 25%.

Border Force Seizures

Border Force seized 148.19 tonnes of drugs, the largest quantity ever recorded. They were responsible for the vast majority of some drugs seized:

  • 80% of heroin
  • 82% of ketamine
  • 86% of powder cocaine
  • 93% of herbal cannabis
  • 87% of cannabis resin

Seizures by drug

  • A combined 137.21 tonnes of herbal cannabis were seized, a 61% rise on the previous year and the largest volume ever recorded. Border Force accounted for most of this increase, seizing 126.98 tonnes.
  • Police carried out 23,706 powder cocaine seizures, the highest number on record. However, the total quantity seized fell by 35% to 18.46 tonnes, mainly due to reduced volumes intercepted by Border Force.
  • The number of heroin seizures fell by 10% to 5,496, the lowest level since 1994. But despite fewer seizures, the total quantity recovered increased by 33% to 589 kg.
  • 3,382 ketamine seizures were recorded, a 50% increase on the previous year.

Updated March 2026