§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost, in the latest year for which figures are available, of customs operations directed at drug trafficking.
§ Mr. RyderI have been asked to reply.
In the financial year ending 31 March 1989 Customs and Excise estimates its expenditure on drugs enforcement and deterrence work at around £114.5 million. This includes the full costs of dedicated drugs investigation teams and the preventive staff employed at ports and airports whose duties include a prime responsibility for combating drugs smuggling.