NCJ Number
183812
Date Published
February 2000
Length
165 pages
Annotation
This bulletin presents statistics on two aspects of the misuse of drugs controlled under Britain's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: seizures of controlled drugs within the United Kingdom and persons dealt with for offenses that involved controlled drugs.
Abstract
The tables in this bulletin provide seizure figures for police and H.M. Customs and Excise for 1998 and, where possible, corresponding figures for the previous 10 years. Seizures increased in 1998 by 8 percent to 149,900, compared to a 14-percent increase in the previous year. Cannabis was involved in 76 percent of seizures. The number of seizures that involved heroin increased by 19 percent; and those that involved cocaine (including "crack") increased by 36 percent. Seizures of cannabis increased by 7 percent. There was no clear pattern in the quantities of Class A drugs seized; heroin fell by 40 percent, following an all-time record peak the previous year, and cocaine increased by 25 percent. Amounts of ecstasy-type drugs seized rose by 9 percent, and LSD quantities continued to diminish by as much as 76 percent in 1998. The number of drug offenders increased by 13 percent to 127,900 in 1998. Ninety percent were possession cases, mainly of cannabis. There was an increase of 32 percent in the number of cocaine offenders (excluding crack ones) to 4,400, of 30 percent in the number of heroin offenders to 11,400, and of 13 percent in cannabis offenders to 97,200. In 1998 there was a modest decrease in the proportion of offenders cautioned to 47 percent; 23 percent were fined, and 8 percent were sentenced to immediate custody. The number of persons given immediate custodial sentences increased by 4 percent compared to a 19-percent increase between 1996 and 1997. More detailed analyses are presented in the associated Area and Supplementary tables that form the annexes to this bulletin. Extensive tables and figures