This release is produced in accordance with the pillars and principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) publishes figures on the levels and trends in police recorded drug seizures and arrests. The statistics are collated and produced by statisticians seconded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). Figures were compiled on 9 September 2021; as of that date 98.0% of seizure incidents for April 2020 to March 2021 have been fully validated.

Key Points

• The number of drug seizure incidents recorded in 2020/21 (8,428) showed an increase of 242 (3.0 per cent) when compared with 2019/20 and is more than three times the level recorded in 2006/07 (2,590).
• Since 2012/13 seizures involving Class A drugs have more than doubled (from 625 to 1,508), Class C seizures have more than trebled (from 564 to 1,949) and Class B seizures are 1.6 times higher (increasing from 3,725 to 6,058).
• Cocaine is the most commonly seized Class A drug and the number of seizures involving cocaine has shown the largest increase of all Class A drugs, from 375 in 2012/13 to 1,114 in 2019/20 before falling slightly to 1,094 in 2020/21.
• Cannabis (Class B) is the most commonly seized drug overall, with herbal cannabis being the most commonly seized cannabis format. The number of herbal cannabis seizures reached their highest level in 2020/201 (5,316), around twice the number recorded in 2012/13 (2,605). 
• Benzodiazepines are the most commonly seized Class C drug and, in 2020/21, they were the second most commonly seized drug across all drug classes. The number of seizure incidents involving benzodiazepines in 2020/21 (1,323) is approaching three times that recorded in 2012/13 (486).
• Since Pregabalin was reclassified as a Class C controlled substance in April 2019 it has become the second most commonly seized Class C drug with 726 seizure incidents in 2019/20 and 637 seizures in 2020/21. Gabapentin, which was also reclassified as Class C controlled substance in April 2019, has seen a lower level of seizure incidents with 59 seizures in 2019/20 and 47 in 2020/21.
• While the number of drug-related arrests recorded in 2020/21 (3,325) showed a decrease of 504 (13.2 per cent) when compared with 2019/20, it is still nearly twice the number recorded in 2006/07 (1,709).
• Lockdown measures in relation to Covid-19 were first introduced on 23rd March 2020 and may have had an impact on the number of drug seizure incidents and drug-related arrests recorded since this date.