The amount of herbal cannabis seized also hit a 20-year high, the Home Office said.
More than 18,000kg (more than 40,000lbs) of cocaine was seized by police and border officials in England and Wales in the year to March 2022 – the highest annual total on record.
The amount of herbal cannabis seized hit a 20-year high, while the quantity of ketamine confiscated also rose substantially, according to Home Office figures.
But overall, the number of drug seizures fell by 14% compared to the previous period, signalling a return to levels recorded prior to the coronavirus pandemic after a spike during lockdowns.
The quantity of cocaine seized by police forces and Border Force rose by 68%, from 11,141kg (24,561lb) in the 12 months to March 2021 to 18,767kg (41,374lbs) in the latest period. This is the highest quantity since records began in 2006/7 (3,191kg/7,034lbs), driven by an increase in the number of seizures weighing 100kg (220lbs) or more by Border Force.
The amount of herbal cannabis seized in the year to March 2022 more than doubled, with 35,436kg (78,123lbs) confiscated compared to 17,155kg (37,820lbs) in the previous period. This is the “highest recorded quantity since 2002”, a Home Office report published on Thursday said.
The quantity of ketamine seized was nearly 10 times the figure for the previous year, rising from 187kg (412lbs) to 1,837kg (4,049lbs), as a result of a rise in the number of seizures over 10kg by Border Force.
Overall, police and border officials made a total 188,929 drug seizures in the year to March 2022 – a 14% decrease compared to the previous year (219,578), but still the second highest figure since the 12 months to March 2014.
