Big rise in drugs seizures by South Yorkshire Police

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The number of successful drug seizures conducted by South Yorkshire Police rose by nearly a third last year, new figures show.

It comes as authorities across England and Wales seized over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, with a street value of at least £3 billion, in the year to March 2024.

This includes 5,017 individual drug seizures in South Yorkshire, a 30 per cent increase on the previous 12 months, but a nine per cent decrease on the same period a decade ago.

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In the year to March, officers in South Yorkshire seized 5kg of powdered cocaine, less than a kilogram of heroin and 83kg of herbal cannabis.

South Yorkshire Police saw a rise in drugs seizures last year. Photo: Press AssociationSouth Yorkshire Police saw a rise in drugs seizures last year. Photo: Press Association
South Yorkshire Police saw a rise in drugs seizures last year. Photo: Press Association | PA

After the City of London, which technically had the highest rate due to its relatively small population, Cleveland Police had the next highest seizure rate, with 7,053 seizures per million people.

Thames Valley Police – which covers Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire – had the lowest rate, with 242.

Across England and Wales, combined action from police and Border Force resulted in a total of 217,644 drug seizures, a 13 per cent increase compared to 2023.

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Border Force made the highest number of illegal drug seizures since records began, with 40,639 separate finds – 57 per cent more than last year.

There were also record amounts of cocaine (28 tonnes) and herbal cannabis (85 tonnes) seized last year.

However, the amount of heroin recovered fell by 54 per cent to 441kg, the lowest quantity since 1989.

Lee Fernandes, lead therapist at drug treatment experts The UKAT Group, welcomed the news, but warned demand was switching from traditional Class A drugs to other substances.

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"The UK is projecting a stronger demand for cheaper substances – ones that aren't yet deemed as a Class A substance," he added.

"The younger generation of drug users aren't using Class A drugs like heroin and crystal meth; they're getting into drugs via cannabis and cannabis vapes, and then moving onto Ketamine, Xylazine – or 'Tranq' – and even synthetic drugs like pink cocaine.

"This shift in demand from the 'typical' drug you'd find on the street to drugs that are now more difficult to classify and regulate will undoubtedly cause a problem for our police forces in the coming years."

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Minister for migration and citizenship Seema Malhotra said the Government was determined "to protect the public from illegal drugs which pose a threat to people’s lives".

She added: "These statistics send a clear message to organised criminal gangs that they will be caught and face the full force of the law if they try to smuggle drugs into our country."

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