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Drug seizures data

EU countries provide data on the number of drug seizures and the quantities seized. Data are available for cannabis, heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, LSD and ecstasy.

Overview | Methods and definitions | Tables

The index below lists the tables in the bulletin in the section dealing with drug seizures, along with a brief overview. See also the main overall index for all sections of the bulletin.

The tables in this section monitor over time the number of drug seizures and quantities seized by law enforcement agencies (mainly police and customs officials), figures that available for many countries historically over the longer term. Tables include data from the EU member states, Croatia, Turkey and Norway.

Tables SZR-1 to SZR-18 show reported drug seizures by country, where data are available, for the major drug types of interest by both numbers of seizures and quantities seized. SZR-7 to SZR-18.

Summary points

Cannabis

After a period of stabilisation in 2001–03, the number of cannabis resin seizures have increased in Europe. The total amount of resin intercepted has increased until 2003–04 but has been declining since. See tables SZR-1 and SZR-2.

The numbers of herbal cannabis seizures in Europe have steadily increased over 2001–06 (see Table SZR-3), although the picture for quantities seized appears less clear, with a possible increase since 2005 after a period of falling quantities between 2001 and 2004 (see Table SZR-4). Conclusions here are necessarily preliminary as the United Kingdom, a country responsible for most herbal cannabis seizures in terms of both numbers and quantities, has not yet reported data for 2005.

Following a steady increase since 2001, the number of seizures of cannabis plants stabilised in 2006 (see Table SZR-5), but this picture is preliminary as data for the United Kingdom (the most seizing country in 2005) were missing for 2006. Over 2001–06, the number of plants seized in Turkey has been overall decreasing, except for a peak in 2003; while, after a sharp decline in 2002, the number of plants seized in other reporting countries have been on the increase since then, although they levelled off in 2006 at half the number reported in 2001 (see Table SZR-6).

Heroin

Over the last 10 years, heroin seizures have been fluctuating downward in Europe, with a relative peak in 2001 and a record low in 2003 (see Table SZR-7). While the quantity of heroin intercepted in the European Union has shown an overall decline between 2001 and 2006, in the same period, the amount seized in Turkey has increased almost three-fold (see Table SZR-8).

Cocaine

Over the period 2001–06, both the number of seizuresand the quantities of cocaine seizedincreased overall at European level, with marked increases in Spain and Portugal. Since 2005, Portugal has moved ahead of the Netherlands as the country with the largest quantities of cocaine intercepted after Spain. See Tables SZR-9 and SZR-10.

Amphetamine

While the provisional figures for 2006 suggest a decline from the higher levels reported in 2004 and 2005, both seizures and amounts of amphetamines intercepted have increased over a five-year period 2001–06. However, this picture can only be confirmed when data for 2006 are available for the United Kingdom, the country reporting the most seizures. See Tables SZR-11 and SZR-12.

Ecstasy

Overall, European ecstasy seizures (see Table SZR-13) have decreased over the period 2001–06, although they remained stable over 2003–05, while quantities seized, after reaching a peak in 2002, have declined subsequently (see Table SZR-14). This picture is to be confirmed against 2005 data from the United Kingdom when available.

LSD

After a continuous decrease for several years, both numbers of seizures and quantities of LSD intercepted have been on the increase since 2003. The data available for 2006 may indicate a slight decline in both measures, but this would have to be confirmed with the United Kingdom data when available (most seizing country). See Tables SZR-15 and SZR-16.