Cocaine Use on the Rise: An Analysis of Wastewater in UK Cities Reveals Startling Increase

2023-07-18 16:06:00

Cocaine

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An analysis of wastewater by the UK’s National Crime Agency revealed that cocaine use had risen 25% in just one year, after the analysis was conducted in cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, The Times reported.

Graeme Biggar, director general of the agency, said they now routinely carry out wastewater checks; To give them a clearer idea of ​​the extent of drug use.

Graeme Biggar praised this method and that it was a much better way to assess the amount and type of drugs and narcotics taken, noting that the agency had previously relied on public surveys and built estimates of the amount of drugs seized.

The newspaper attributed the reason behind this jump to the fact that the price of cocaine was relatively low in the past year, in addition to the existence of an excess supply.

4,500 drug-related deaths are recorded in the UK every year

Graeme Biggar is director general of the UK’s National Crime Agency

And the newspaper indicated that the United Kingdom is still the largest market for cocaine in Europe, indicating that the agency’s intelligence cooperation led to the seizure of 250 tons of class A drugs in the United Kingdom and various regions of the world, last year; A large part of it was intended for the United Kingdom.

Biggar added that approximately 120 tons of cocaine and 40 tons of heroin are consumed in the UK each year, pointing out that the drug trade encouraged excess violence, the illegal use of weapons, modern slavery, robbery and theft, and money laundering.

And he added that there were 4,500 drug-related deaths a year in the UK, and that the agency was currently doing its best to prevent fentanyl or other synthetic opioids from entering the market.

He warned that the countries he described as hostile use organized crime gangs, sometimes of different nationalities, to carry out illegal activity in the UK.

He pointed out that there are around 59,000 people involved in serious organized crime in the UK, in addition to around £12 billion resulting from criminal activities each year, and around £100 billion of dirty money coming to launder from around the world.

Source: The Times newspaper

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