Home Office Statistical Bulletin The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate exists to improve policy making, decision taking and practice in support of the Home Office purpose and aims, to provide the public and Parliament with i n f o rmation n ecessar y for i n f o rmed debate and to publish information for future use. Stat istical Bu llet ins are p roduced by the Researc h, Development and Statistics Directorate. For further copies contact: Communication D e v e l o p m e n t U n i t Room 264, Home Office, 50 Queen Anne s Gate, London SW1H 9AT. Tel: 020 7273 2084 Fax 020 7222 0211 p u b l i c a t i o n s. rd s @ h o m e o ff i c e. g s i. g o v. u k Crown Copyright 2004 ISSN 1358-510X
Chapter 1 Preface... 5 PART 1: DRUG SEIZURES... 7 CHAPTER 2 NUMBER AND QUANTITY OF DRUGS SEIZED... 7 Class A Drugs... 9 Heroin... 10 Cocaine (Excluding Crack)... 11 Crack... 12 LSD... 13 Ecstasy... 14 Cannabis... 15 Amphetamines... 17 Class C Drugs... 18 Anabolic steroids... 19 Benzodiazepines (including Temazepam)... 20 CHAPTER 3 AUTHORITY MAKING SEIZURES... 22 Class A Drugs... 23 Heroin... 24 Cocaine (excluding Crack)... 25 Crack... 25 LSD... 26 Ecstasy... 26 Class B Drugs... 27 Amphetamines... 28 Cannabis... 28 Class C Drugs... 29 Anabolic steroids... 30 Benzodiazepines... 30 CHAPTER 4 DRUG PURITY... 32 Class A drugs... 32 Heroin... 32 Cocaine... 33 Crack... 33 Class B Drugs... 34 Amphetamines... 34 CHAPTER 5 SEIZURE NOTES... 35 Part 2: DRUG OFFENDERS... 39 CHAPTER 6 ALL DRUG OFFENCES... 39 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...39 Age and sex of offenders... 39 Trends in the numbers of offenders by drug type, 1992-2002... 40 Disposals... 42 Action taken against offenders, 2001 and 2002... 43 Action taken against Class A offenders, 2001 and 2002... 44 Action taken against Class B offenders, 2001 and 2002... 45 CHAPTER 7 UNLAWFUL POSSESSION... 46 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...46 Characteristics of offenders for possession offences, by age and sex... 46 Trends in the numbers of possession offenders by drug type, 2001 and 2002... 48 Action taken against possession offenders, 2001 and 2002... 49 1
Action taken against possession offenders by drug type, 2001 and 2002... 50 CHAPTER 8 UNLAWFUL SUPPLY... 52 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...52 Characteristics of offenders for supply offences, by age and sex... 52 Trends in numbers of supply offenders by drug type, 2001 and 2002... 54 Action taken against supply offenders, 2001 and 2002... 55 Action taken against supply offenders by drug type... 56 CHAPTER 9 POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY UNLAWFULLY... 58 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...58 Characteristics of offenders for possession with intent to supply offences - by age and sex... 58 Trends in numbers of offenders by drug type... 60 Action taken against offenders, 2001 and 2002... 61 Action taken against offenders by drug type... 62 CHAPTER 10 UNLAWFUL PRODUCTION... 64 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...64 Characteristics of offenders for production offences by age and sex... 64 Trends in the numbers of offenders by drug type...66 Action taken against offenders, 2001 and 2002... 67 Action taken against offenders by drug type... 68 CHAPTER 11 UNLAWFUL IMPORT OR EXPORT... 69 Trends in the number of offenders, 1992-2002... 69 Action taken against offenders, 2001 and 2002... 69 CHAPTER 12 DEALING... 71 Trends in the numbers of offenders, 1992-2002...71 Characteristics of offenders of dealing offences, by age and sex... 71 Trends in the numbers of offenders by drug type, 2001 and 2002... 71 Action taken against offenders, 2001 and 2002... 72 Action taken against offenders by drug type... 72 CHAPTER 13 CUSTODIAL SENTENCES... 73 Trends in the number of offenders in Prison Service establishments, 1992-2002... 73 Trends in the number of offenders in Prison Service establishments by offence type, 1992-2002... 73 Trends in the number of offenders in Prison Service establishments by drug type, 1992-2002... 74 CHAPTER 14 OFFENDERS NOTES... 76 INDEX TO TABLES... 79 Summary tables... 79 Seizure tables... 79 Offender tables... 79 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION... 81 Previous and related Home Office Statistical Publications... 81 Data quality issues... 82 Contact details... 83 2
FIGURES AND MAPS Figure 1: Total Number of Drug Seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 7 Figure 2: Drugs seized by Class, United Kingdom.1992-2002... 8 Figure 3: Contribution of the main drug types to the total number of Seizures, United Kingdom. 1992-2002... 8 Map 1: Numbers of Class A seizures by police force area per million population, 2002.... 10 Figure 4: Number and Weight Of Heroin Seizures, United. Kingdom. 1992-2002... 11 Figure 5: Number and Weight of cocaine seizures United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 11 Figure 6: Number and Weight of crack seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 12 Figure 7: Number and Quantity of LSD seizures, United Kingdom. 1992-2002... 13 Figure 8: Numbers and Quantity of Ecstasy type drug seized, United Kingdom, 1992-2002Class B Drugs... 14 Map 2: Class B seizures by police force area, per million population, 2002... 15 Figure 9: Number of cannabis seizures by type, United Kingdom 1992-2002... 16 Figure 10: Weight (Kg) of cannabis seizure (excluding plants), United Kingdom 1992-2002... 17 Figure 11: Number and weight of amphetamine seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 18 Map 3: Class C seizures by police force area, per million population 2002... 19 Figure 12: Number and weight of anabolic steroids seized, United Kingdom 1996-2002... 20 Figure 13: Number and weight of Benzodiazepine (Including Temazepam) seizures, United Kingdom 1992-2002....21 Figure 14: Numbers of all drug seizures by type of authority, United Kingdom 1992-2002... 22 Figure 15: Percentage Contribution to the Total Number of Police Seizures by Police Authority and Region, 1992 To 2002... 23 Figure 16: Numbers of Seizures of Class A drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 24 Figure 17: Percentage of Heroin Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 24 Figure 18: Percentage of Cocaine Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002.25 Figure 19: Percentage of Crack Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 25 Figure 20: Percentage of LSD Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 26 Figure 21: Percentage of Ecstasy-type drugs Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 27 Figure 22: Number of Seizures of Class B drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom 1992-2002... 27 Figure 23: Percentage of Amphetamine Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 28 Figure 24: Percentage of Cannabis Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 29 Figure 25: Number of Seizures of Class C drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 29 Figure 26: Proportion of quantities of weighed Anabolic steroids seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1996-2002... 30 Figure 27: Proportion of quantities of Benzodiazepines seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002... 31 Figure 28: Heroin purity trends by Source of Seizure 1997-2002... 32 Figure 29: Cocaine purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1992-2002... 33 Figure 30: Crack purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1997-2002... 34 Figure 31: Amphetamines purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1997-2002... 34 Figure 32: Number of persons found guilty, cautioned, given a fiscal fine or dealt with by compounding for drug offences by gender, 1992-2002... 40 Figure 33: Offenders by type of drug (excluding the most common cannabis), 1992-2002... 42 Figure 34: Proportion of offenders found guilty for drug offences by disposal, 1992-2002... 44 Figure 35: Number of persons found guilty, cautioned, given a fiscal fine or dealt with by compounding for possession offences, 1992-2002... 46 Figure 36a: Age groups of all possession offenders, 2001... 47 Figure 36b: Age groups of all possession offenders, 2002... 47 Figure 37: Number of unlawful possession offenders by main drug type, 2001 and 2002... 49 3
Figure 38: Action taken against offenders for unlawful possession offences, 2001 and 2002... 50 Figure 39: Main disposals for unlawful possession by drug type, 2002... 51 Figure 40: Number of all known unlawful supply offenders, 1992-2002... 52 Figure 41a: Age groups of all supply offenders, 2001... 53 Figure 41b: Age groups of all supply offenders, 2002... 53 Figure 42: Number of unlawful supply offenders, 2001 and 2002... 55 Figure 43: Action taken against unlawful supply offenders, 2001 and 2002... 56 Figure 44: Main disposals for unlawful supply by drug type, 2002... 57 Figure 45: Number of all known possession with intent to supply offenders, 1992-2002... 58 Figure 46a: Age groups of all possession with intent to supply offenders, 2001... 59 Figure 46b: Age groups of all possession with intent to supply offenders, 2002... 59 Figure 47: Number of known possession with intent to supply offenders, 2001 and 2002... 61 Figure 48: Action taken against possession with intent to supply offenders, 2001 and 2002... 62 Figure 49: Main disposals for possession with intent to supply unlawfully by drug type, 2002... 63 Figure 50: Number of all known production offenders, 1992-2002... 64 Figure 51a: Age groups of all production offenders, 2001... 65 Figure 51b: Age groups of all production offenders, 2002... 65 Figure 52: Number of cannabis production offenders, 2001 and 2002... 67 Figure 53: Action taken against known production offenders, 2001 and 2002... 68 Figure 54: Main disposals for unlawful cannabis production, 2001 and 2002... 68 Figure 55: Number of known import/export offenders, 1992-2002... 69 Figure 56: Action taken against import/export offenders, 2001 and 2002... 70 Figure 57: Number of persons under sentence in Prison Service establishments for drug offences... 73 Figure 58: Number of persons in Prison Service establishments by principal type of drug offence... 74 Figure 59: Number of persons in Prison Service establishments by drug type, 1992-2002... 75 4
Chapter 1 Preface 1.1 This bulletin presents statistics on two aspects of the misuse of drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: seizures of controlled drugs within the UK and persons dealt with for offences involving controlled drugs (e.g. possession or importation) in the UK. The bulletin reports on 2001 and 2002 data, and the main drugs in the various Classes as follows; Class A; Cocaine, Crack, Ecstasy-type drugs, Heroin, LSD and Methadone Class B; Amphetamines, Herbal Cannabis, Cannabis Resin and Cannabis plants Class C; Anabolic steroids, Benzodiazepines (Including Temazepam) 1.2 England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland data will be published separately in future years. From the 2003 data year the Home Office will publish, for England and Wales: headline financial year drug seizure data; and headline calendar year drug offender data Detailed England and Wales tables will be made available on the RDS website at the same time as the headline figures are published. 1.3 The seizure tables in this bulletin give seizure figures for police, the National Crime Squad (NCS) and H M Customs and Excise for the reference years, and where possible, corresponding figures for the previous ten years. Some figures for 2001 seizures have already been published in Home Office Findings 202: Seizures of drugs in the UK 2001. Further, more detailed, analyses are available in the associated Area and Supplementary tables, which form annexes to this bulletin. 1.4 Drug seizures made by Customs and the National Crime Squad (NCS) generally reflect levels and drug-types at, or soon after, the point of importation. Those made by the police may give some pointers to distribution patterns of drugs already in the country, diverted from medical supplies or produced illegally. Drugs recovered by the police mostly involve small amounts, typically from users or minor drug dealers. Customs and NCS seizures although fewer in number account for a large proportion of the total quantity recovered. 1.5 Changes in drug seizure and offender statistics do not simply reflect changes in demand or the prevalence of controlled drugs. Drug misuse is a largely clandestine activity. Numbers of seizures and offenders dealt with are affected by changes in the amount, direction and effectiveness of enforcement effort and also by changes in recording procedures. 5
1.6 At the time of writing, drug seizures for quarter 4 (October to December) of 2002 had not been received from Nottingham police force. The variability on seizures data is such that no estimate has been made for this shortfall. 1.7 This bulletin presents information in 14 chapters; Chapter 1 Part 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Part 2 An introduction to this bulletin Drug Seizures Number and Quantity of drugs seized; the number and weight of seizures in each drug class. Authority making seizures; who seized what. Drug purity; the purity of the drugs sent by the law enforcement authorities and sent to the forensic science services for analysis. Seizure Notes; counting procedures and any new legislation. Drug offenders. Chapter 6 All drug offences; changes in numbers of offenders, and information on their age and sex and court disposals. Chapter 7 Unlawful possession; statistics related to the unlawful possession offences numbers and characteristics of offenders, offenders by drug type, action taken against offenders. Chapter 8 Unlawful supply; statistics related to the unlawful supply offences numbers and characteristics of offenders, offenders by drug type, action taken against offenders. Chapter 9 Possession with intent to supply unlawfully; statistics related to the possession with intent to supply offences numbers and characteristics of offenders, offenders by drug type, action taken against offenders. Chapter 10 Unlawful production; statistics related to the unlawful production offences numbers and characteristics of offenders, offenders by drug type, action taken against offenders. Chapter 11 Unlawful import or export; statistics related to the unlawful import or export offences numbers and characteristics of offenders, offenders by drug type, action taken against offenders. Chapter 12 Dealing; short discussion on trends in dealing. Chapter 13 Custodial sentences; sentences by drug type. Chapter 14 Offenders Notes; counting procedures and any new legislation. 6
PART 1: DRUG SEIZURES Definitions of seizures and other matters that affect these data are in Chapter 5. CHAPTER 2 NUMBER AND QUANTITY OF DRUGS SEIZED (Tables 1.1,1.2, 2.1) 2.1 Figure 1 shows the overall trend in numbers of drug seizures over the last decade. The number of reported drug seizures reached a peak of 151,750 in 1998, fell back to 125,080 in 2000 before rising by five per cent in both 2001 and 2002, to 131,190 and 137,340 respectively. Figure 1: Total Number of Drug Seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 180,000 150,000 Number of Seizures 120,000 90,000 60,000 30,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2.2 Over the last decade, most of the drug seizures have been of Class B drugs (see figure 2). Since 1992 more than 75 per cent of all drugs seized have been Class B. Numbers of class B drug seizures reached a peak of 127,690 in 1998 before falling in 1999 and 2000. In 2001, Class B seizures then recovered a little to 99,150 and again in 2002 to 107,600. Class C drugs followed a similar trend with a peak of 3,130 in 1998, and falls in 1999 and 2000 followed by partial recovery to 2,310 in 2001 and a new peak of 3,140 in 2002. Class A drug seizures rose continuously from 10,780 in 1992 to 38,060 in 2001 before falling in 2002 to 33,550. 7
Figure 2: Drugs seized by Class, United Kingdom.1992-2002 200,000 Number of seizures 160,000 120,000 80,000 40,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Class A drugs Class B drugs Class C drugs 2.3 Figure 3 shows that the drug seized most throughout the ten years from 1992, was cannabis. In the first half of the decade amphetamines were the second most frequently seized drug but this changed to heroin in the second half. More detail of trends in individual drugs seizures are given below. Figure 3: Contribution of the main drug types to the total number of Seizures, United Kingdom. 1992-2002 120 100 Percentage 80 60 40 20 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Cannabis Amphetamines Heroin Cocaine Crack LSD Ecstasy-type Note: A seizure may involve more than one drug and will be counted once under each type of drug seized. Totals by drug type sum to more than 100 per cent. 8
2.4 Drugs are seized in a variety of preparations including powder, tablet and liquid. This bulletin reports on weight seized (in kilograms), tablets and doses. The Class A drugs Cocaine, Crack, Heroin and Methadone are reported in kilograms. Ecstasy and LSD are reported in doses. Class B drug seizures, with the exception of cannabis plants, are reported in kilograms. All Class C drugs are reported in kilograms. Class A Drugs (Tables 2.1, 2.4, 2.6 and A1.4) 2.5 The number of seizures of Class A drugs have generally increased over the past ten years (see figure 2), tripling from 10,780 in 1992 to 33,550 in 2002. The main Class A drugs highlighted in this section are heroin, cocaine, crack, LSD, ecstasy-type drugs and methadone. Crack and cocaine are reported separately although it should be noted that laboratory analysis does not easily distinguish crack from cocaine as both have the same chemical composition. Therefore some crack may be reported as cocaine. 2.6 The volume of drugs seized shows more year on year variability than the number of seizures since a small number of very large seizures can have a big impact on total volume (see tables 2.6a and 2.6b). This is more likely to affect those drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy type seized by HM Customs and Excise (see chapter 3). 2.7 Heroin has been the most frequently seized Class A drug in each of the last 10 years. Since 1994 ecstasy-type drugs have consistently been the second most frequently seized Class A drug, while LSD seizures have declined rapidly in importance over the same period. 2.8 Details of the quantities of Class A drugs seized are shown within the following sections on individual drugs. Overall, 6,980 kilograms of Class A drugs (Those weighed in kilograms only, therefore excluding ecstasy and LSD) were seized in 2001 and 6,490 kilograms in 2002. 9
Map 1: Numbers of Class A seizures by police force area per million population, 2002. Under 280 281-400 401-700 Over 700 2.9 Map 1 illustrates the number of class A seizures made by police, per million population, by police force area. The average United Kingdom rate for Class A drug seizures was 567 per million population. Higher than average rates of seizures were made in many of the Scottish force areas (except Central, Fife and Northern). In Wales; Dyfed-Powis and South Wales police forces had higher than average rates of Class A seizures. In England; Cleveland, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Humberside, Lancashire, Metropolitan and City of London, Northumbria, West Midlands and West Yorkshire forces had higher than average rates of Class A drug seizures. It should be noted that average rates are generally higher in Scotland and Wales than in England. Heroin (Tables 1.1, 2.6a and 2.6b) 2.10 The numbers of heroin seizures have risen over the last decade (see figure 4), reaching a peak of 18,260 in 2001, before dropping to 15,370 in 2002. The weight of heroin seized has risen over the last decade although there was a fall in 2002. The total weight of heroin, seized in 2001 and 2002 was 3,930 Kg and 2,730 Kg respectively. There were 140 heroin seizures each involving quantities of one Kg or more in 2001 and 100 such heroin seizures in 2002 (see Table 2.6a and 2.6 b). 10
Figure 4: Number and Weight Of Heroin Seizures, United. Kingdom. 1992-2002 Number and Weight (Kg) 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number Weight Cocaine (Excluding Crack) (Tables 1.1, 2.4, 2.6a and 2.6b) 2.11 The numbers of cocaine seizures rose between 1992 and 2000 before peaking at 7,000 in 2001 and then falling back to 6,640 in 2002. Of all seizures involving Class A drugs in 2001 and 2002, cocaine accounted for 18 and 20 per cent respectively. Figure 5: Number and Weight of cocaine seizures United Kingdom, 1992-2002 8,000 Number and Weight (Kg) 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number seized Weight (Kg) 11
2.12 Figure 5 shows that over the last ten years there has been an overall upward trend in the weight of cocaine seized. The peak was in 2000 when 3,950 Kg were seized, after which there was a fall to 2,840 Kg in 2001, followed by an increase to 3,580 Kg in 2002. Table 2.6a and 2.6b shows that 360 cocaine seizures in 2001 and 40 in 2002 weighed more than 1 Kg. Crack (Tables 1.1, 2.4, 2.6a and 2.6b) 2.13 Although fewer in number than other cocaine seizures, the numbers of crack seizures, which is a cooked form of cocaine, have increased steadily over the last 10 years. Crack seizures rose from 870 in 1992 to 3,690 in 2001 and 4,260 in 2002. Figure 6: Number and Weight of crack seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 5,000 Number and Weight (Kg) 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number Seized Weight (Kg) 12
2.14 The weight of crack seized, although much less than for other cocaine, has shown a general rise over the past decade (see figure 6). In 2001 and 2002, 60 Kg of crack was seized, with a mean weight per seizure of 20 g in 2001 and 10 g in 2002. There were only 10 seizures of crack weighing more than 1 kilogram in both 2001 and 2002 (see table 2.6a and 2.6b). LSD (Tables 1.1, 2.4, 2.6a and 2.6b) 2.15 The numbers of LSD seizures reached a peak of 2,530 in 1993, falling swiftly to 1,160 in 1995. Since 1995, the numbers of LSD seizures have continued falling steadily to just 60 seizures in 2002. Figure 7: Number and Quantity of LSD seizures, United Kingdom. 1992-2002 Number and Quantity (doses) 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number Thousands of doses 2.16 The quantities of LSD seized have fallen steadily since 1996, mirroring to some extent the decline in number of seizures. In 1992 there were 340 thousand doses of LSD seized but by 2001 this had fallen to 10 thousand doses and increased in 2002 to 20 thousand doses. In 2001, seizures of LSD were generally small, mainly in the range of 1 to 50 doses and in 2002 all LSD seizures were in that range. 13
Ecstasy (Tables 1.1, 2.5, 2.6a and 2.6b and figure 8) 2.17 Ecstasy-type drugs seizures rose steadily from 1993 reaching 6,220 in 1996, then fell back before rising again to a peak of 10,460 in 2001. They then fell back 21 per cent to 8,300 in 2002. 2.18 There had been an overall increase in the quantity of ecstasy-type drugs seized from 1992 to a peak of 8 million doses in 2001.The quantity seized fell by 72 per cent to 2.3 million doses in 2002 (see figure 8). Again, trends in the number of doses seized are greatly influenced by small numbers of large seizures. There were 70 and 40 large seizures of ecstasy-type drugs (more than ten thousand doses) in 2001 and 2002 respectively. The average number of doses seized per seizure was 790 in 2001 and 270 in 2002 (See table 2.6 a and 2.6 b). Figure 8: Numbers and Quantity of Ecstasy type drug seized, United Kingdom, 1992-2002Class B Drugs Number and quantity (doses) 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number Thousands of doses 14
Class B Drugs (Tables 2.5 and A1.4) 2.19 Class B seizures reached a peak of 108,330 in 1998 before falling back in 1999 and 2000. The numbers of seizures rose again in 2001 and 2002. There were 107,600 seizures of Class B drugs in 2002, nine per cent more than in 2001, due to an increase in the number of herbal cannabis seizures. By far the most frequently seized class B drug was cannabis resin. Map 2: Class B seizures by police force area, per million population, 2002. Under 1080 1081-1409 1410-1800 Over 1800 2.20 Map 2 illustrates the number of class B seizures made by the police, per million, by police force area. On average, there were 1,817 seizures of Class B drugs per million population in the UK. Higher than average rates of seizures were made in most of the Scottish force areas (except Fife) and most of the Welsh force areas (except North Wales) and four English forces (Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Metropolitan and City of London, and Northumbria). Cannabis (Tables 1.1, 2.5 and A1.5 and figure 9) 2.21 The numbers of cannabis seizures rose to a peak of nearly 115,000 in 1998 before falling in 1999 and 2000. Numbers of seizures then fell to 93,600 in 2001 before rising in 2002 to 102,390. The number of seizures 15
involving herbal cannabis rose by 29 per cent in 2002 to 41,820. There were 2,440 seizures of cannabis plants in 2002, a 30 per cent rise. The number of seizures of cannabis resin and cannabis liquid continued to fall from their peaks in 1997. Figure 9: Number of cannabis seizures by type, United Kingdom 1992-2002 140,000 120,000 Number of seizures 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Cannabis resin Cannabis (herbal) Cannabis liquid Cannabis plants 2.22 Figure 10 shows a peak in the weight of cannabis seized in 1994 of about 230 tonnes (excluding cannabis plants). Most of this peak was due to a large increase in the amount of resin seized that year. There was a further peak in 1997 of about 150 tonnes (again due to an increase in the amount of resin seized), followed by a fall to 70 tonnes in 1999. The weight of drug seized since then showed a slight but steady increase to 86 tonnes in 2001. 16
Figure 10: Weight (Kg) of cannabis seizure (excluding plants), United Kingdom 1992-2002 250,000 200,000 Weight (Kg) 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Cannabis resin Cannabis (herbal) Cannabis liquid 2.23 In 2002, 79 tonnes (1000 Kg is equivalent to one ton) of cannabis was seized, down from 86 tonnes in 2001. A greater weight of cannabis resin than herbal cannabis was seized in each of the 10 years to 2002. However the weight of herbal cannabis seized has been increasing since 1999 and in 2002 the difference in weight of resin and herbal cannabis seized reduced to less than 10 tonnes. 2.24 The quantity of herbal cannabis seized rose by 31 per cent between 2001 and 2002, from 27 tonnes in 2001 to 35 tonnes in 2002. The number of cannabis plants seized fell by 20 per cent to 57,070 and the weight of cannabis resin fell by 25 per cent to 44 tonnes in the same period. Amphetamines (Tables 1.1, 2.5 and A1.5 and figure 11) 2.25 Figure 11 shows that the numbers of amphetamine seizures rose from 10,570 in 1992 to 18,630 in 1998 and then fell by 28 per cent to 13,390 in 1999 and a further 47 per cent to 7,070 in 2000 before stabilising at around 7,000 in 2001 and 2002 (6,820 in 2001 and 6,980 in 2002). 2.26 The trends in seizures by weight in kilograms of amphetamine has been erratic, but rose to a peak of 3,300 Kg in 1997, followed by a general fall to 1,410 in 2002 (see figure 11). 17
Figure 11: Number and weight of amphetamine seizures, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 20,000 Number and Weight (Kg) 16,000 12,000 8,000 4,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Number Seized weight (Kg) Class C Drugs (Tables 2.5, A1.4) 2.27 The main Class C drugs are Anabolic steroids, Benzodiazepine tranquillisers and the milder stimulants. They represent only a very small proportion of all seizures. In 2002 there were 3,140 seizures of Class C drugs, an increase of 46 per cent on 2001. Continuing the trend of recent years, Benzodiazepines accounted for 85 per cent of the Class C seizures 2.28 Map 3 illustrates the number of Class C seizures made by the police force, per million population, by police force area in 2002, when there were an average 53 seizures per million population in the UK. Higher than average rates of seizures were made in all of the Scottish police force areas, in South Wales, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Humberside and Northumbria force areas. Further details are available in the area tables that appear as an appendix to this bulletin. 18
Map 3: Class C seizures by police force area, per million population 2002 Under 8 9-30 31-68 Over 68 Anabolic steroids (Table 2.5, A1.5 and figure 12) 2.29 Anabolic steroids became controlled drugs from 1 September 1996. Numbers of seizures are too small to report trend data with any accuracy. However, there were 30 seizures of anabolic steroids in 1996, a peak of 170 seizures in 1998, falls in 1999 and 2000 another peak of 140 in 2001 (up 56 per cent) and a fall of eight per cent to 130 in 2002. 2.30 Figure 12 shows that in 1997 the quantity of seized anabolic steroids peaked at 460 Kg before falling back to 20 Kg in 1998. Overall, there has been a general rise in the amount of anabolic steroids seized to 120 Kg in 2002. 19
Figure 12: Number and weight of anabolic steroids seized, United Kingdom 1996-2002 Number and Weight (Kg) seized 500 400 300 200 100 0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Numbers Seized Weight (Kg) Benzodiazepines (including Temazepam) (Tables 2.5, A1.5 and figure 13) 2.31 The numbers of Benzodiazepines seized increased between 1992 and 1998 to 2,970 seizures. The number of seizures then fell to 1,850 in 2000 before rising again by 65 per cent to 3060 in 2002. 2.32 Temazepam seizures have been separately identified only since the beginning of April 1995. Previously they were subsumed within the benzodiazepine category. 20
Figure 13: Number and weight of Benzodiazepine (Including Temazepam) seizures, United Kingdom 1992-2002. Number and Weight (Kg) seized 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Numbers Seized Weight (Kg) 2.33 The quantities of Benzodiazepines seized have been very small in comparison to the other drugs in Class C. Due to a large increase in unweighed Benzodiazepines seized, 1998 was the only year in the decade where the quantity seized was higher than for anabolic steroids. 21
CHAPTER 3 AUTHORITY MAKING SEIZURES (Tables 2.2 and S1.1) 3.1 Over the last decade, the police forces have been making more seizures than HM Customs and Excise. However, although seizures by HM Customs and Excise are a comparatively small proportion of the total number of seizures, they generally involve large quantities of drugs and make up about 80 per cent of the total quantities of drugs seized. Figure 14: Numbers of all drug seizures by type of authority, United Kingdom 1992-2002 160 H M Customs & Excise 120 Seizures (thousands) 80 Other police 40 Metropolitan Police 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 3.2 A study of regional trends over the decade (see figure 15) shows that the Metropolitan police (at over 20 per cent) contributed the largest percentage to the overall number of seizures in every year. Until 1997 the Southeast region was usually the second largest after which Scotland became the second largest contributor in most years. Northern Ireland contributed the fewest seizures over the entire period. Data for drug seizures in the last quarter of 2002 from Nottinghamshire constabulary has not been included in this publication as they failed to submit the data in time. No estimates were made to account for the missing data. This has affected the overall numbers of drug seizures for the Midlands region. 22
Figure 15: Percentage Contribution to the Total Number of Police Seizures by Police Authority and Region, 1992 To 2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Metropolitan Police North West Region North East Region Midlands Region Eastern Region South East Region South West Region Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Other Authority Class A Drugs (Tables S1.2 and S1.3) 3.3 Though the majority of Class A drugs seizures were made by police forces, the quantities they seized were much smaller than those seized by HM Customs. However, because of the different ways in which the amount of drugs seized are measured for different drugs (ie. in kilograms, doses or tablets) it is not possible to present aggregate quantities for class A drug seizures. The falls in LSD and Crack seizures contributed to the 12 per cent fall in the number of Class A drug seizures in 2002. 3.4 Though the majority of Class A drugs seizures were made by police forces, the quantities they seized were much smaller than those seized by HM Customs. However, because of the different ways in which the amount of drugs seized are measured for different drugs (ie. in kilograms, doses or tablets) it is not possible to present aggregate quantities for class 23
A drug seizures. The falls in LSD and Crack seizures contributed to the 12 per cent fall in the number of Class A drug seizures in 2002. Figure 16: Numbers of Seizures of Class A drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 40,000 35,000 30,000 Number of Seizures 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 Police and other authorities 5,000 0 HM Customs 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Heroin (Tables 2.3, S1.2 and S1.3) 3.5 HM Customs seized a larger proportion of heroin than police forces until 1999. In that year the weight of heroin seized by the police forces increased almost five-fold from 360 Kg in 1998 to about 1,500 Kg in 1999. Since then, police forces have seized a larger quantity of heroin than HM Customs and Excise. In 2001 they seized 71 per cent of the total weight and in 2002 62 per cent (see figure 17). Figure 17: Percentage of Heroin Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 24 Customs Police Force
Cocaine (excluding Crack) (Tables 2.3, S1.2 and S1.3) 3.6 In the past 10 years HM Customs and Excise have seized significantly higher quantities of cocaine in each year than the police (see figure 18). In 2001, HM Customs were responsible for 64 per cent by weight of cocaine seizures and for 94 per cent in 2002. Figure 18: Percentage of Cocaine Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police force Crack (Tables 2.3, S1.2 and S1.3) 3.7 In contrast to cocaine, police forces have seized a larger proportion of crack than HM Customs and Excises since 1992. This suggests that Crack is generally produced locally from imported cocaine (see figure 19). Figure 19: Percentage of Crack Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 25 Customs Police Forces
LSD (Tables 2.3, S1.2 and S1.3) 3.7 Figure 20 shows no obvious pattern to the year by year proportions of LSD doses seized by the authorities. However, the very small number of seizures of LSD in recent years leads to very high variability between years. The police seized less then 10 doses of LSD in 2002, while HM Customs and Excise seizures fell from 30 doses in 2001 to 10 in 2002. Figure 20: Percentage of LSD Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police forces Ecstasy (Tables 2.3, S1.2, S1.3) 3.8 In most years in the period under consideration, HM Customs and Excise seized larger numbers of doses of ecstasy-type drugs than police forces (the exceptions were 1993, 1995 and 1998). In 2001, 66 per cent was seized by HM Customs as was 53 per cent in 2002. 26
Figure 21: Percentage of Ecstasy-type drugs Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police Forces Class B Drugs (Table S1.1) 3.9 Over the last decade, the vast majority of Class B seizures were made by the police forces, as was the case for Class A drugs. This is evident in figure 22 below. Figure 22: Number of Seizures of Class B drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom 1992-2002 140,000 120,000 Numbers seized 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 Police and other authorities 0 HM Customs and Excise 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 27
Amphetamines (Tables 2.4, S1.4 and S1.5) 3.10 Figure 23 shows that police forces have seized a higher proportion of amphetamine doses than HM Customs and Excise in most years over the last decade. In 2001 the police seized 64 per cent and in 2002 58 per cent of the total quality of amphetamines seized. Figure 23: Percentage of Amphetamine Quantities Seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police Forces Cannabis (Tables 2.4, S1.4 and S1.5) 3.11 In general, in the last decade, HM Custom and Excise seized a larger proportion of cannabis by weight. 3.12 In 2002, numbers of police seizures rose five per cent to 100,090. However, the amount recovered by police (excluding plants) fell 96 per cent to 15,200 Kg in the same year. The number of HM Customs and Excise seizures went up by 39 per cent to 4,150 in 2002. And the amount of cannabis (excluding plants) seized by HM Customs and Excise rose 14 per cent to 63,990 Kg, and accounted for 81 per cent of the total quantity seized. In 2002 the police seized 92 per cent of the herbal cannabis seized, 100 per cent of the cannabis plants, 98 per cent of the cannabis resin and 86 per cent of the liquid cannabis seized in the UK. 28
Figure 24: Percentage of Cannabis Quantities Seized By Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police Class C Drugs (Table S1.1) 3.13 Figure 25 shows that most Class C drug seizures have been made by the police in every year over the last decade. Figure 25: Number of Seizures of Class C drugs by type of authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 4,000 Number of seizures 3,000 2,000 1,000 Police and other authorities HM Customs 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 29
Anabolic steroids (Tables 2.4, S1.4 and S1.5) 3.14 Anabolic steroids were not recorded separately before 1996. Only small quantities of anabolic steroids were seized, but in 1996 the police seized a larger proportion of this weight than HM Customs. However, since then, HM Customs have consistently seized a greater proportion of the weight of anabolic steroids in each year and over the last three years have seized almost all the total weight. In 2001, HM Customs seized 98 per cent of the total quantity anabolic steroids seized and 83 per cent in 2002. Figure 26: Proportion of quantities of weighed Anabolic steroids seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1996-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Customs Police Benzodiazepines (Tables S1.4 and S1.5) 3.15 In contrast to the picture for anabolic steroids, figure 27 shows that the police seized most of the Benzodiazepines in the United Kingdom over the past decade. In 2001, police forces seized 91 per cent of the total quantity of benzodiazepines seized and all of them in 2002. 30
Figure 27: Proportion of quantities of Benzodiazepines seized by Authority, United Kingdom, 1992-2002 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 HM Customs and Excise Police 31
CHAPTER 4 DRUG PURITY 4.1 This section looks at trends in the average purity of the main controlled drugs sent to the Forensic Science Services laboratory for analysis, from seizures by the police forces and HM Customs. The data shown are from 1997 onwards. Class A drugs Heroin (Tables 2.7a, 2.7b) 4.2 The average purity of heroin seized by the police and HM Customs and Excise and analysed by the Forensic Science Service laboratories in 2002 was about 40 per cent for the police and 44 per cent for HM Customs and Excise. Figure 28: Heroin purity trends by Source of Seizure 1997-2002 100 80 Percentage 60 40 20 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Police Customs 4.3 The purity of heroin has generally risen over the last 5 years from 35 per cent in 1997 to a high of 49 per cent in 2001 for police force seizures followed by a decrease in purity to 40 per cent in 2002. Although on average of slightly lower purity, heroin seized by HM Customs and Excise had a generally similar purity to that seized by police forces in most years until 2001. This suggests that, after import, heroin is not generally cut. There is a slightly greater difference in 2002 but it is too early to say whether this heralds a change in the trend. 32
Cocaine (Tables 2.7a and 2.7b) 4.4 The purity of cocaine seized by HM Customs and Excise has consistently been higher than that seized by the police, because seizures are generally made by the police at street level where the drug has usually been cut with bulking agents. Figure 29 shows that the purity level of cocaine seized was the lowest in 2000 for both police and HM Customs at 52 per cent and 66 per cent respectively. The levels for police seizures rose to 57 per cent in 2001 and then 61 per cent in 2002, while those of HM Customs and Excise was 71 per cent in both 2001 and 2002. Figure 29: Cocaine purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1992-2002 100 80 Percentage 60 40 20 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Police Customs Crack (Tables 2.7a, 2.7b) 4.5 The purity of crack seized by both Customs and Excise and police forces is similar and shows little variation over the years apart from a dip in 2000 which coincided with a dip in purity of cocaine (figures 29 and 30). The average purity of crack analysed by the Forensic Science Service in 2002 was 71 per cent for the police and 80 per cent for HM Customs and Excise. 33
Figure 30: Crack purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1997-2002 Percentage 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Police Customs Class B Drugs Amphetamines (Tables 2.7a, 2.7b) 4.6 Figure 31 shows that the mean yearly purity of Amphetamines seized by police forces is lower than that seized by HM Customs and Excise. The purity levels of amphetamines seized by the police reached a low of about five per cent in 2000 and have been steadily increasing since then to 14 per cent in 2002. The purity levels of amphetamine seizures by HM Customs and Excise also fell, to a low of 12 per cent, in 2000, but then rose to 49 per cent in 2002, the highest it has been in the period for which data is available. Figure 31: Amphetamines purity trends by Source of Seizure, 1997-2002 100 80 Percentage 60 40 20 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Police Customs 34
CHAPTER 5 SEIZURE NOTES 5.1 The statistics in this bulletin relate to the misuse of drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which came into force on 1 July 1973. The Act divides drugs into three categories according to their harmfulness. A full list of drugs in each category is given in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, as amended by Orders in Council. 5.2 The statistics of seizures cover seizures made during the year by police (including the British Transport Police) that have been submitted to the Home Office, together with information from H. M. Customs and Excise. More detailed figures for seizures by Customs and police are given in the associated Area and Supplementary tables. Seizures involving more than one drug are counted as a single seizure in the total number of seizures but are counted separately against each individual drug or drug class involved. Annual movements in quantities are often heavily affected by a small number of very large seizures. 5.3 Seizures by Customs have historically accounted for about five per cent of the total number of seizures but for the majority of the quantities seized. However, in the last few years the police, especially the National Crime Squad, have been making larger seizures of certain drugs such as heroin, crack and amphetamines. Each Customs case is counted as a single seizure even where it includes seizures made on a number of separate occasions. The characteristics of the first seizure in the case are taken as the characteristics of the combined seizure. Some of the totals for quantities of drugs seized by Customs included in the statistics in this bulletin may differ slightly from their own published figures, especially for earlier years. The differences reflect differences in the treatment of information, mainly revisions to weights, which became available after these statistics had been issued by Customs. 5.4 Information on average (arithmetic mean) drug purities for cocaine, crack, heroin and amphetamine has been provided by the Drugs Intelligence Unit (DIU) of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) whose laboratories analyse seizures made by most police forces and Customs. Such averages do not adequately describe the overall average purity. In 1999 the DIU started to calculate weighted means for drug purity levels. However, a few large seizures of cocaine with exceptionally low purity appear to have affected the unweighted mean disproportionately. It has not been included in this bulletin because of difficulties with interpretation. Not all seizures are sent for analysis, particularly in cases where the offender pleads guilty to 35
possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use. However, arrangements exist for the police to send for analysis all potential cocaine samples, including crack. The figures for crack seizures include those notified as such and those where other evidence indicates the possibility of crack (i.e. presence of sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride in the sample, paraphernalia suitable for smoking free-base cocaine, etc.). Some crack seizures may have been analysed but not identified as such because crack is not a scientific term used in forensic casework and crack has the same chemical composition as cocaine. The figures on purity of heroin refer to seizures weighing more than 1 gram, whilst those for amphetamines relate to seizures of more than 10 grams. For FSS data, the year refers to the year that information on the analysis was provided rather than the year of seizure. 5.5 The quantity of LSD and ecstasy-type drugs (including MDMA) seized has been listed as the number of doses seized rather than as a weight; this is because (a) the effective dose is very small (micrograms in the case of LSD and milligrams for MDMA) and (b) the drugs are almost always encountered in the form of capsules or tablets (MDMA) or impregnated squares or microdots in the case of LSD. The typical number of doses in a kilogram of LSD is about 10,000; a kilogram of ecstasy usually equates to about 4,000 doses. All quantities of these drugs in this bulletin have now been converted to doses. 5.6 Referring to the total amount of methadone seized in terms of kilograms is misleading since the majority of seizures involve methadone in the 1g/L liquid, i.e. 1 gram in weight is the equivalent of 1 litre in liquid form. The amounts given in this bulletin have been derived by converting the liquid amounts to grams by multiplying the liquid quantity by 0.001. Data provided by DIU for seizures made in England and Wales in 2000 indicate that out of 591 records relating to methadone, 3 were powder, 64 tablets/capsules, whilst the remaining records were for liquid items (sometimes in combination) - chiefly linctus or unspecified liquid, but including some ampoules. 5.7 From 1993, the method of collecting the statistics for England and Wales changed. From 1 January 1993 seizures were reported on a simplified form no longer linked to an offender. All seizures of controlled drugs are included, whether or not there is an offender, and whether the case results in court proceedings, in a caution, or no further action. In England and Wales, total seizures were about 22 per cent higher in 1993 using the new method of collection (form Crimsec38) than in 1992 using the old method (form Crimsec19). Although this increase is only slightly larger than the average annual 36
increase since 1987 (about 21 per cent) it is possible that some of the increase may result from more timely receipt of seizures information; this part of the increase may be of the order of 5 per cent of the overall increase. 5.8 A new database of drug seizures made by the police was developed between 1999 and 2000, coming on line in September 2000. There are some differences between the way in which this database counts seizures compared to the two databases it replaced. It was discovered that figures previously published for the period 1993-9 were undercounting the number of seizures. The historic tables in this bulletin have been updated to take this into account. Historic Scottish data were converted to the format required by the new database. This led to minor differences in the quantities attributed to Scottish forces in the historic tables. For the period 1997-9, the RUC were unable to provide raw data for drug seizures because of computer software problems. Instead information was supplied as statistical tables. The missing data have been obtained retrospectively. 5.9 There have been some delays in recent years in the submission of seizure data by Scottish police forces. When this happens, tables are revised accordingly in the next publication. Percentage increases from one year to another should therefore be interpreted with this caveat in mind. 5.10 Not all drugs, which come into the possession of the police, have been seized in the strictest sense of the word. For example, a member of the public may hand in what appear to be drugs that have been found in the street. These items will be recorded at individual police stations in a paper ledger or electronic database and then destroyed. In a number of police force areas, schemes have been introduced whereby drugs can be placed in waste sacks at night club premises. The quantity and nature of the substances, or indeed whether they are illicit drugs or not, normally remain unknown as the sacks are usually destroyed. In neither of these instances are returns made to the Home Office. Following discussions with policy colleagues in the Action Against Drugs Unit and the Policing Organised Crime Unit, RDS concluded in October 1999 that the effort and cost involved for police forces in recording such items would outweigh any benefit in terms of a fuller record of drug seizures. From time to time the contents of 'honesty bins' are passed (without any means of identifying their origin) to forensic science laboratories for analysis. This is to enable scientists to keep track of developments in what substances are being used and how they are manufactured. 37