National statistics

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2022

Contains figures for seizures of drugs made by local police forces and the UK Border Force.

Applies to England and Wales

Documents

Details

The data relate to all drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. The number and quantity of seizures made can be affected by police and Border Force activity and changes in recording practices, as well as changes in the drugs market. Therefore, the number and quantity of drug seizures each year should not be taken as an indicator of drug prevalence in England and Wales.

If you have any comments about this release please contact us at drugseizures.datacollection@homeoffice.gov.uk.

Further information

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales: user guide

Home Office statisticians are committed to regularly reviewing the usefulness, clarity and accessibility of the statistics that we publish under the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Published 20 April 2023
Last updated 5 July 2023 + show all updates
  1. The number and quantity of fentanyl analogue seizures made by Border Force has been updated. This revision affects the total number of seizures and total number of Class A seizures.

  2. An update on the narrative for cannabis herbal seizures has been made to better reflect historic data.

  3. First published.