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Largest ever seizure of synthetic opioids in the UK
The Metropolitan Police has made what it says is the largest ever seizure of synthetic opioids in the UK , amid fears that more and more nitazenes and fentanyls are entering the country ’ s drug supply . Around 150,000 nitazene tablets were recovered by officers working with UK Border Agency staff at addresses in the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Enfield .
The tablets were recovered in a ‘ sophisticated factory set up ’, say the police , alongside other class A and B drugs , a pill pressing machine , more than £ 60,000 in cash and a firearm . ‘ It is suspected the drugs were sold via the dark web , using encrypted chat applications and social media ’, the police state . Around £ 8,000 in cryptocurrency stored on hard drives was also seized . Nitazenes are extremely potent synthetic opioids that are increasingly being found in the UK drug market , including in heroin batches and pills sold as oxycodone or benzodiazepines . They are associated with high levels of sedation and respiratory depression , with overdoses often requiring multiple doses of naloxone . Many in the treatment sector are concerned that the UK market may be flooded with synthetic opioids as a result of the Taliban ’ s opium ban in Afghanistan . Opium poppy cultivation in the country has fallen by 95 per cent since last year , according to the latest UNODC analysis , with the experience of the US demonstrating how easily cheap and readily available alternatives can displace heroin , UNODC warns .
Nitazenes were linked to a number of fatal overdoses
Cannabis resin potency up 200 per cent in a decade
THE AVERAGE POTENCY OF CANNABIS resin in the EU increased by almost 200 per cent between 2011 and 2021 , according to analysis by EMCDDA and Europol , with the average potency of herbal cannabis rising by almost 60 per cent over the same period . The EU cannabis market is estimated to worth at least EUR 11bn annually , says the report , and remains the biggest drug market in Europe .
Cannabis products are becoming increasingly diverse as well as potent , the document states , with a ‘ range of natural semi-synthetic and synthetic cannabinoids available in many different forms ’ including edibles , vaping products , oils and ‘ concentrates ’. Cannabis represents an ‘ attractive market ’ for serious and organised crime , the report adds .
While criminal networks involved in the cannabis market tend to be ‘ highly cooperative ’ at the wholesale level , sharing in the West Midlands earlier this year . Their presence in fake Xanax or OxyContin pills purchased from the dark web also means that they may be more likely to be used by people with very low levels of opioid tolerance , and without access to naloxone ( DDN , November , page 6 ). ‘ Synthetic opioids have been detected in batches of heroin found in London and across the UK ,’ said Detective Superintendent Helen Rance , who led the investigation . ‘ They substantially raise the risk of incredibly serious harm to the user and are believed to be linked to a number of deaths . We are working closely with partners to monitor and proactively tackle this issue , provide advice and remove the availability of these dangerous drugs from our streets .’
Afghanistan opium survey 2023 at www . unodc . org
resources and building partnerships , the profitability and wide geographic span of the market also make it ‘ highly volatile and dynamic ’, with frequent violence as a result of territorial disputes .
‘ Cocaine seizures might be grabbing the headlines , but trafficking of cannabis is just as important a threat ,’ said Europol executive director Catherine De Bolle . ‘ The cannabis trade yields a staggering EUR 11.4bn annually , which is still a minimum estimated value of the market . In addition to the impact on public health , the substantial illegal proceeds criminal networks obtain from trafficking cannabis fuel dire consequences — criminals increasingly veer into extreme violence to further their criminal goals .’
EU drug market : cannabis at https :// www . emcdda . europa . eu / publications / eu-drugmarkets / cannabis _ en
Many in the treatment sector are concerned that the UK market may be flooded with synthetic opioids as a result of the Taliban ’ s opium ban in Afghanistan . Opium poppy cultivation in the country has fallen by 95 per cent since last year .
£ 267m funding roll out in April
ALMOST £ 267M OF FUNDING to improve drug and alcohol services will be rolled out to local authorities next April , the government has announced . The money is part of the ten-year strategy to improve the quality of – and access to – treatment , and follows £ 95m made available in 2022-23 and £ 154m this year . Funding is prioritised for the areas with the highest need , based on drug death rates , opiate and crack prevalence , the size of the treatment population , and crime and deprivation levels . ‘ Today ’ s allocations of almost £ 267m will go directly to local authorities and their partners , meaning they can deliver treatment that is tailored to meet local needs ,’ said independent adviser to the government , Professor Dame Carol Black . ‘ The end goal is to get many people into a world-class recovery and treatment system , reduce drug use and drug related crime – and ultimately save lives .’
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