NCJ Number
206910
Date Published
August 2004
Length
107 pages
Annotation
This bulletin presents 2001 and 2002 statistics for drug seizures and drug offenders in the United Kingdom as a whole.
Abstract
Statistics on drug seizures address the number and quantity of drugs seized, the law enforcement authorities making seizures for various types of drugs, and drug purity. The number of drug seizures increased in 2001 and 2002 by 5 percent in both years, to 131,190 in 2001 and 137,340 in 2002. Cannabis seizures continued to represent 75 percent of all seizures. The number of seizures that involved amphetamines, cannabis, and crack increased in 2002 by 2 percent, 9 percent, and 15 percent, respectively. Seizures of cocaine, ecstasy-type drugs, heroin, and LSD declined by 5 percent, 21 percent, 16 percent, and 65 percent, respectively. The quantities of cocaine and crack seized increased 26 percent and 5 percent, respectively in 2001 and 2002, while those of cannabis, amphetamines, heroin, LSD, and ecstasy-type drugs decreased 8 percent, 18 percent, 31 percent, 53 percent, and 27 percent, respectively. Statistics on drug offenders are first presented for all drug offenses before they are broken down by specific offenses, namely, unlawful possession, unlawful supply, possession with intent to supply unlawfully, unlawful production, unlawful import or export, and dealing. Data on custodial sentences are also presented. The number of known drug offenders declined to 102,600 in 2001 before increasing to 113,050 in 2002. The majority of known drug offenders were convicted for cannabis offenses. Heroin offenders were the largest group of known Class A drug offenders, accounting for 12 percent of all known offenders in 2001 and 10 percent in 2002. Extensive tabular and graphic data