§ Lord Harris of Greenwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
(i) what quantities of heroin and cocaine were seized by HM Customs and Excise in the first six months of this year, (ii) what was its street value, and (iii) what were the comparable figures for 1980, 1983, 1986, 1989 and 1992.
The Earl of CaithnessThe information is as follows:
142WA
Heroin Cocaine Weight (kg) Value (£m) Weight (kg) Value (£m) 1980 12 1 10 1 1983 78 7 46 4 1986 77 7 37 3 1989 187 17 261 22
Heroin Cocaine Weight (kg) Value (£m) Weight (kg) Value (£m) 1992 228 21 11,175 101 1993 151 14 228 20 1 Includes one seizure of over 900 kg. Notes:
1. The figures for the first six months of earlier years are based on working records, as monthly totals are not published. The totals for 1993 are provisional.
2. The street values have been calculated on the estimated national average value on 1 January 1993 (heroin £91 per gram, cocaine £86 per gram). These values are for drugs as sold at street level (purity usually below 50 per cent.). The drugs seized by Customs are generally of a much higher purity.