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Commentary
Number of Drug Seizures
The total number of drug seizures in Scotland in 2004/05 saw an increase of approximately 14% compared with 2003/04, from 21,768 to 24,897.
In 2005/06 the number of seizures increased slightly compared to 2004/05, from 24,897 to 24,941.
Figure 1 (page 1) shows the total number of drug seizures in Scotland made by the eight Scottish Police forces. The past two years show that the total number of seizures has increased very slightly. An upward trend has continued since 2000/01.
Figure 2 illustrates the change in the number of seizures broken down by class, showing that the majority of seizures recovered drugs currently classified as class C drugs. The classifications of drugs has changed over the reporting period (see note 10) and the classifications at the end of the reporting period, March 2006, have been applied to all data. Years 2004/05 and 2005/06 saw increases in the number of seizures of class A and class B drugs.
Figure 2 The number of seizures of controlled drugs and financial year, Scotland
Class A Drugs
The proportion of seizures recovering class A drugs has increased over the past three years, from 18% in 2003/04, 20% in 2004/05 and 21% of seizures in 2005/06.
The number of crack and cocaine seizures in 2004/05 saw an increase of 22% when compared to 2003/04, from 777 to 945 seizures. In 2005/06 the number of crack and cocaine seizures increased by 46% compared to the 2004/05 figure from 945 to 1,381.
The number of heroin seizures in 2004/05 saw an increase of 27% when compared to 2003/04, from 2,224 to 2,816 seizures. In 2005/06 the number heroin seizures increased by 13% compared to the 2004/05 figure from 2,816 to 3,175.
The number of ecstasy-type seizures in 2004/05 saw an increase of 18% when compared to 2003/04, from 1,081 to 1,279 seizures. However, in 2005/06 the number of ecstasy-type seizures decreased by 35% compared to the 2004/05 figure from 1,279 to 829. This is the lowest number of seizures that had recovered ecstasy-type drugs since 1998/99.
No methylamphetamine was recovered in seizures undertaken during 2004/05 and 2005/06.
The number of seizures recovering crack has more than doubled over the past two years, although absolute numbers remain relatively small. The increase is also reflected in the quantity of crack recovered, with 75 crack seizures resulting in 1.1 kg recovered in 2004/2005 and 148 crack seizures resulting in 2.6 kg in 2005/2006. The majority of crack seizures were made by Grampian police force.
Class B Drugs
Since the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C, the majority of the class B seizures involve amphetamines. The number of amphetamine seizures in 2004/05 increased by 8% compared with 2003/04, from 911 to 985. In 2005/06 the number of amphetamine seizures increased by approximately 7% compared with the 2004/05 figure, from 985 to 1,052.
Class C Drugs including cannabis
Since the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C, the majority of class C seizures involve cannabis in its various preparations. Over the past two years, approximately 94% of seizures within the class C category recover cannabis.
The total number of drug seizures recovering cannabis in 2004/05 increased by approximately 10% when compared to 2003/04, from 17,485 to 19,215. In 2005/06 the total number of cannabis seizures decreased slightly from 19,215 to 19,148 seizures.
Quantities of drugs seized
Large seizures
There can be considerable fluctuation in the quantities of drugs seized over time. Whilst most drug seizures consist of relatively small quantities annual totals of drugs seized can be greatly influenced by a small number of large seizures.
The current national strategy is for intelligence led operations against the main drug dealers. This may result in a lower number of seizures, but conversely the quantity of drugs seized and their value will be high. These high profile operations may result in greater disruption to the drugs trade, which, whilst having a positive effect, may reduce the number of seizures made. Care must be taken when comparing quantities.
When large quantities are present in the raw data, the relevant police force was contacted for confirmation. Each police force holds definitive data about their seizures.
Class A
The quantity of heroin seized in 2004/05 was approximately two and a half times greater than that seized in 2003/04, increasing from 71.0 kg to 179.3 kg. In 2005/06 the quantity of heroin nearly halved when compared to 2004/05, falling from 179.3 kg to 97.5 kg. This illustrates the large fluctuations encountered when examining the quantities of drugs seized.
The quantity of crack more than doubled in 2005/06 compared to 2004/05, an increase from 1.1 kg to 2.6 kg.
The quantity of cocaine more than doubled in the period 2003/04 to 2004/05, increasing from 18.3 kg to 44.2 kg. The quantity of cocaine continued to increase in 2005/06 from 44.2 kg to 74.5 kg. This is more than a four-fold increase in quantity of cocaine seized in the two year period from 2003/04 to 2005/06.
The amount of methadone seized in 2004/05 decreased by approximately 26% compared with 2003/04, from approximately 22.1 litres to 16.3 litres. However, in 2005/06 the amount of methadone returned to slightly above the 2003/04 value at 23.3 litres, which corresponds to a 43% increase when compared to 2004/05.
The number of doses of Ecstasy-type drug recovered continued to decrease in line with recent trends.
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