Border Force seized 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, a 52% increase from last year, in the highest number of seizures on record.
Border Force has made the highest number of illegal drug seizures since records began, taking action at the border to help prevent harmful substances from reaching communities across the UK.
In the year ending March 2024, over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs were seized by police and Border Force with a street value of around £3 billion. This is a 52% increase from last year and the highest volume since records began.
Combined action from police and Border Force resulted in a total of 217,644 drug seizures in England and Wales last year, a 13% increase compared to 2023. Border Force made a total of 40,639 drug seizures, the highest since records began and a 57% increase from the previous year.
Record amounts of cocaine were taken off the streets last year through relentless action and a zero tolerance approach to illegal drugs at the border. The total quantity of cocaine seized by Border Force and police rose by 52% to over 28 tonnes.
Border Force also saw a strong performance on herbal cannabis seizures, with over 74 tonnes seized. This was the largest quantity since records began in 1973, and a 58% increase from the previous year.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra is today visiting Border Force officers at Stansted Airport to thank them for their relentless work in breaking drug supply chains and preventing harmful substances from entering the country.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra said:
We are clear in our determination to protect the public from illegal drugs which pose a threat to people's lives.
I'd like to thank our dedicated Border Force officers who work tirelessly to seize illegal drugs, alongside our police forces and NCA, who keep them off our streets and the public safe.
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.
Working in partnership, police forces, Border Force, the National Crime Agency and international partners use intelligence and technology to keep the UK's borders safe, prevent drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.
Border Force officers use a range of methods including hi-tech search equipment to detect and stop illegal and restricted goods that criminals attempt to bring into the country.
Today's statistics come as more than 20 dangerous substances have been banned, including xylazine, stepping up efforts to combat the increasing drug threat and make our streets safer.
Through our Plan for Change, the government is working closely with policing and Border Force, expanding the access of the life saving drug naloxone and training Border Force dogs to detect a range of nitazenes and fentanyl.
The collective response in dismantling drug smuggling operations from police and Border Force is helping the government in its safer streets mission by smashing organised crime and saving lives.
