More than 90 tonnes of illegal drugs have been seized by Britain’s Border Force, Government figures revealed on Thursday.
Between January and June 2024, officers made a total of 22,719 illegal drug confiscations – up a 19% on the same period last year.
The finds included “significant quantities of so-called party drugs” cocaine and ketamine, the Home Office said.
So far this year 41 tonnes of herbal cannabis has also been seized.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra, said: “We are determined to protect the public from illegal drugs, especially so-called party drugs like cocaine and ketamine, which pose a real threat to young people’s lives.
“Our dedicated Border Force officers work tirelessly to identify and seize these illegal substances, working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies to keep them off our streets.
“Today’s statistics send a clear message to criminal gangs – if you try to smuggle them into this country, you will be caught and you will face the full force of the law.”
Over 19 tonnes of cocaine and 412kg of ketamine were confiscated by Border Force officials in the first half of this year.
The total weight of illegal drugs confiscated is up 92% on 2023.
The Government said the increase was down to Border Force, working with police forces and the National Crime Agency (NCA), “using advanced technology and greater intelligence”.
In February officers made what is believed to be the largest ever seizure of class A drugs in the UK when almost six tonnes of cocaine was found in a container at Southampton Port.
Specialist Border Force officers were called in to carry out a search by the NCA, who identified the shipment through it’s Near Europe Task Force.
The blocks of drugs were found hidden in boxes of bananas which had been transported from South America.