Amount of seized cannabis falls 53%

The amount of cannabis seized by police and border officials more than halved last year, figures showed today.

Law enforcement agencies recovered a total of 30.5 tonnes of herbal cannabis and cannabis resin in 2009/10, down 53% from 65 tonnes the previous year, according to Home Office statistics.

The number of drug seizures in England and Wales was also down last year, falling 7% to 224,080 from the previous year's record high of 241,473.

Most of the drugs (98%) were seized by police, with the remaining 2% seized by the UK Border Agency, the figures showed.

Cocaine remained the most commonly found class A drug for the fourth year running, with more than 21,000 separate seizures last year - more than three times the number of seizures made in 2002, but a 13% fall from 2008/09.

Along with the 2.6 tonnes of cocaine found last year, 758,700 cannabis plants were also seized, up 18% from the 643,296 the previous year.

Other seizures included 1.5 tonnes of heroin and 1.3 tonnes of amphetamines, both down on the previous year.