§ 99. Mr. David EvansTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what resources are now devoted by Her Majesty's customs to the prevention and detection of drug smuggling; what were the totals of class A and class B drugs seized in 1988; and what were the comparable figures for previous years.
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§ Mr. LilleyFrom April 1986 to April 1988 the number of Customs officers mainly engaged in the prevention of drug smuggling rose from 2,958 to 3,565, an increase of 20.5 per cent. 412.3kg of class A drugs were seized by Customs in 1985–86, 269.5kg in 1986–87 and 706.8kg in 1987–88, an increase of 71 per cent. over the period. The corresponding figures for class B drugs were 21,744kg in 1985–86, 20,231kg in 1986–87 and 23,448kg in 1987–88; an increase of 8 per cent. over the two years.