Cumbria police seized more cocaine last year, new figures show.
Home Office figures show 10.9kg of cocaine were seized by Cumbria Constabulary in the year to March 2022 – up from 5.4kg the year before.
Across England and Wales the quantity of cocaine seized by police forces and Border Force rose by 68 per cent from over 11,000kg in 2021 to nearly 19,000kg last year.
Additionally, the amount of ketamine confiscated rose nearly tenfold from 187kg to 1,837kg respectively.
The Home Office said this stark increase was the product of more high-quantity seizures.
In Cumbria, just 0.6kg of ketamine was seized last year.
The figures show there were 970 total drug seizures in Cumbria last year – down from 1,119 in 2021.
A significant amount of the drugs seized in the area last year were cannabis plants (6,448 plants) and herbal cannabis (84.7kg).
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 the North West confiscated seven per cent of the drugs seized across England and Wales.
Forces in London (22 per cent) and in the East of England (12 per cent) seized the highest amount. After them, Border Forces seized 11 per cent of drugs confiscated nationally.
