The number of successful drug seizures conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police fell by more than a third last year, new figures show.
It comes as authorities across England and Wales seized over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, with a street value of at least £3 billion, in the year to March 2024.
This includes 2,488 individual drug seizures in Devon and Cornwall, a 36% decrease on the previous 12 months, and a 36% decrease on the same period a decade ago.
After the City of London, which technically had the highest rate due to its relatively small population, Cleveland Police had the next highest seizure rate, with 7,053 seizures per million people.
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Thames Valley Police – which covers Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire – had the lowest rate, with 242.
Across England and Wales, combined action from police and Border Force resulted in a total of 217,644 drug seizures, a 13% increase compared to 2023.
Border Force made the highest number of illegal drug seizures since records began, with 40,639 separate finds – 57% more than last year.
There were also record amounts of cocaine (28 tonnes) and herbal cannabis (85 tonnes) seized last year.
However, the amount of heroin recovered fell by 54% to 441kg, the lowest quantity since 1989.
Lee Fernandes, lead therapist at drug treatment experts The UKAT Group, welcomed the news, but warned demand was switching from traditional Class A drugs to other substances.
“The UK is projecting a stronger demand for cheaper substances – ones that aren’t yet deemed as a Class A substance,” he added.
“The younger generation of drug users aren’t using Class A drugs like heroin and crystal meth; they’re getting into drugs via cannabis and cannabis vapes, and then moving onto Ketamine, Xylazine – or ‘Tranq’ – and even synthetic drugs like pink cocaine.
“This shift in demand from the ‘typical’ drug you’d find on the street to drugs that are now more difficult to classify and regulate will undoubtedly cause a problem for our police forces in the coming years.”
In the year to March, officers in Devon and Cornwall seized 27kg of powdered cocaine, 6kg of heroin and 371kg of herbal cannabis.
Minister for migration and citizenship Seema Malhotra said the Government was determined “to protect the public from illegal drugs which pose a threat to people’s lives”.
She added: “These statistics send a clear message to organised criminal gangs that they will be caught and face the full force of the law if they try to smuggle drugs into our country.”