The data relate to all drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. The number and quantity of seizures made can be affected by police and Border Force activity and changes in recording practices, as well as changes in the drugs market. Therefore, the number and quantity of drug seizures each year should not be taken as an indicator of drug prevalence in England and Wales.

If you have any comments about this release please contact us at [email protected].

Further information

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales: user guide

Home Office statisticians are committed to regularly reviewing the usefulness, clarity and accessibility of the statistics that we publish under the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Published 9 December 2020
Last updated 8 January 2021 + show all updates

8 January 2021
In section 7.3 of 'Seizures of drugs, in England and Wales, financial year ending 2020', the text 'The Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England is published by NHS Digital and contains results from a biennial survey of school children aged 7 to 11' has been amended to 'The Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England is published by NHS Digital and contains results from a biennial survey of school children aged 11 to 15'.
29 December 2020
Added HTML version of 'Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2020'.
9 December 2020
First published.

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2020

Applies to England and Wales

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