Remarkable rise in cocaine seizures by Cambridgeshire Police, figures show

Cambridgeshire Police seized more cocaine last year, new figures have show.

Home Office figures show a remarkable 34.8kg of cocaine was seized by the force in the year to March 2022 – up from just 1.3kg the year before.

This was in line with a 68 percent rise in cocaine seized by police and border forces- from 11,000kg to nearly 19,000kg across England and Wales.

Additionally, the amount of ketamine confiscated rose nearly ten-fold from 187kg to 1,837kg respectively.

The Home Office said this stark increase was the product of more high-quantity seizures.

In Cambridgeshire, just 0.2kg of ketamine was seized last year.

The figures show there were 2,405 total drug seizures in Cambridgeshire last year – down from 2,810 in 2021.

A significant amount of the drugs seized in the area last year were cannabis plants (13,529 plants) and herbal cannabis (219kg).

Niamh Eastwood, Release's executive director, said the Home Office's annual figures on drug seizures shows how futile their efforts are in stopping the illegal drug market.

"The market continues unabated, and harms continue to be at an all-time high, especially in relation to the tragedy of drug-related deaths," Ms Eastwood said.

She added: "It is unsurprising to see cocaine at the top of the Class A seizure tables given its popularity, but despite tens of thousands of kilos of cocaine being taken off the streets there will be little impact on the availability of the drug.