Cannabis and cocaine remain the country's most popular illegal drugs, according to new Government statistics.
The latest figures from the Home Office have revealed that a total of 519kg of cocaine was seized by police in England and Wales in 2019/20 - down from 765kg seized the year before.
Despite the decrease, that’s still enough for nearly 10.4 million typical 50mg “doses” of cocaine - or one for every six people.
A further 3,755kg of cocaine was seized by the UK Border Force from people attempting to smuggle it into the country - which was also down from 8,880kg.
It suggests that cocaine is the most popular drug in the country, apart from cannabis.
However, the figures show an interesting north/south divide when it comes to drugs.
While cocaine is generally the most popular drug, northern communities appear more likely to favour amphetamines.
You can see how your area compares to the rest of the country by exploring our interactive map:
The Home Office release shows figures for drug seizures made in the year ending March 31, 2020 in England and Wales by the police, including the British Transport Police, and Border Force.
The data relates to all drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA), which divides drugs into three categories – Classes A, B and C – according to the harmfulness they cause to the user or to society when they are misused.
Class A drugs are considered to be the most harmful. This statistical release also presents figures relating to drugs known as new psychoactive substances (NPS).
Police forces and Border Force made a total of 183,068 drug seizures in England and Wales in year ending March 2020, a 20 percent increase compared with the previous year (153,136).
This is the second consecutive annual increase in seizures, reversing a downward trend since year ending March 2012.
There was an 81 percent decrease in the quantity of cannabis resin seized (from 4,626kg to 871kg) between years ending March 2019 and 2020, while the number of cannabis plants seized increased by 24 percent (from 395,843 plants to 490,254 plants).
94 percent of all Class B seizures involved cannabis in the year ending March 2020.
