§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give for the longest and most convenient stated period of time the number of persons arrested, and subsequently charged, for drug offences, including the selling and "pushing" of heroin; how many of them were Iranians ; how many of these were subsequently deported ; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RaisonThe latest information available relates to 1978 and is given in the following table :
PERSONS PROCEEDED AGAINST FOR OFFENCES INVOLVING CONTROLLED DRUGS United Kingdom 1978 Number of persons Offence All Persons Persons recorded as being Iranian nationals Unlawful supply of heroin 46 1 Possession of heroin with intent to supply unlawfully 37 4 All offences, all drugs 14,463 70 Details of Iranians deported for involvement in heroin trafficking are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
328WWe are alive to the problem of heroin brought into the United Kingdom by nationals of certain Middle East countries, including Iran, and fully support the efforts being made by the police and customs against this traffic. The hon. Member may have noticed reports of the severe action now being taken within Iran against drug trafficking.