Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2007 - Drug Misuse Information ...

Drug Misuse and Treatment in Scottish Prisons
D4 Seizures of controlled drugs
Key Points 2005/06
Overview
■ There were 24,941 seizures of controlled drugs in Scotland (Table D4.1).
■ There were 5,270 seizures of Class A drugs, 1,205 seizures of Class B drugs and 20,353 seizures of Class
C drugs (Table D4.3).
■ The largest number of seizures for Class A drugs were for heroin. For Class B drugs the largest number
of seizures related to amphetamines, while for Class C drugs the largest number of seizures were of
cannabis resin (Table D4.3).
Geographical profile
■ Strathclyde police made 58% (14,479) of the drug seizures in Scotland (Table D4.1).
■ Of 97.5kg of heroin seized in Scotland, 63% was seized in Strathclyde, 9% in Tayside and 8% in Fife
(Table D4.2).
■ Of 148 seizures of crack cocaine in Scotland, 85% (126) were made in Grampian. The crack cocaine
seized in Grampian represents 88% (2.3kg) of the total amount seized in Scotland (2.6kg) (Table D4.2).
Five year trends – 2001/02 to 2005/06
■ Since 2001/02 the number of drug seizures in Scotland increased by 29% from 19,350 to 24,941 (Table
D4.1).
■ The number of Class A seizures increased by 3% overall (5,124 to 5,270), however, there was an increase
of 128% in seizures of cocaine (541 to 1,233) and an increase of 190% in seizures of crack cocaine (51
to 148) over the same period (Table D4.3).
■ The number of Class B seizures increased by 20% (995 to 1,205) (Table D4.3).
■ The number of Class C seizures, the majority of which was cannabis, increased by 34% (15,153 to
20,353). Total seizures of cannabis saw an increase of 32%, however, seizures of herbal cannabis
increased by 289% (574 to 2,231). It should be noted however that the rise in seizures of herbal
cannabis did not have a corresponding rise in quantity seized, with the quantity seized in 2005/06
(750.3kg) being the lowest weight over the 5 year period (Table D4.3).
Background information
This section provides a selection of information on seizures of drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971 by both Police and Customs & Excise. Data on seizures of controlled drugs was published by the Scottish
Government for the first time with the 2004/05 and 2005/06 figures. Previously the data had been collected
and published by the Home Office. Comparisons to previous Home Office publications show difference in
quantity seized, especially in some Class A drugs. This was the result of duplicate records which were
discovered during the Scottish Government’s data analysis. Confirmation of the correct data were sought from
police forces and the duplicate records were removed.
From 29th January 2004 cannabis was reclassified as a Class C drug. For the purposes of this publication
cannabis is shown as a Class C drug for all years.
It is important to note that large seizures can disproportionately affect the quantities seized, leading to large
changes from year to year. Also, the number of seizures of different drug types does not appear to be
necessarily related to the number of inhabitants in a police force area.
Criminal Justice
Further information
Further statistics on seizures of controlled drugs in Scotland are available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/DrugSeizures
Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland 2007
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