More cocaine seized in South Yorkshire by police last year

Release, the national centre for drugs expertise, said the Government's figures on drug seizures show the "futility of their efforts" as drug harm and death remains high.

Home Office figures show 2.1kg of cocaine were seized by South Yorkshire Police in the year to March 2022 – up from 1.1kg the year before.

Across England and Wales the quantity of cocaine seized by police forces and Border Force rose by 68% from over 11,000kg in 2021 to nearly 19,000kg last year.

Additionally, the amount of ketamine confiscated rose nearly ten-fold from 187kg to 1,837kg respectively.

The Home Office said this stark increase was the product of more high-quantity seizures.

In South Yorkshire, just 0.3kg of ketamine was seized last year.

Niamh Eastwood, Release's executive director, said the Home Office's annual figures on drug seizures shows how futile their efforts are in stopping the illegal drug market.

"The market continues unabated, and harms continue to be at an all-time high, especially in relation to the tragedy of drug-related deaths," Ms Eastwood said.

She added: "It is unsurprising to see cocaine at the top of the Class A seizure tables given its popularity, but despite tens of thousands of kilos of cocaine being taken off the streets there will be little impact on the availability of the drug.

"We need to start to look at what other countries are doing, ending criminal sanctions for possession offences, and exploring regulated markets and reducing the harms that people are experiencing."

The figures show there were 3,774 total drug seizures in South Yorkshire last year – up from 3,766 in 2021.

A significant amount of the drugs seized in the area last year were cannabis plants (230,069 plants) and herbal cannabis (102kg).

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said the Government will continue to back police and Border Force to use every available power to stop drugs from entering the country.

He added the figures show how effective the Government's approach has been as they "continue to go after the criminals who blight so many communities and destroy lives with these harmful substances".

Regionally, police forces in Yorkshire and The Humber confiscated 9% of the drugs seized across England and Wales.