We’ll all have our views on the necessity (or not) of the “War on Drugs” and whether prohibition works (and the alternatives) – more on that in
Before that, it’s worth putting the impact of drugs in Wales (and on the people involved in supplying them) in context.
Drug-related crime
The most often quoted figure as to the social and economic costs of illegal drugs is around £20billion per year – similar to the figure estimated as part of the UK Government’s 2020 review of drugs.
The majority of these costs fall on the criminal justice system (as drug-related crime and the judicial/policing aspects) and NHS.
Of the recorded drug offences by the four Welsh police forces in 2023-247:
- 1,299 led to a charge or summons.
- 993 cases were dropped either due to evidence problems or prosecution not being in the public interest.
- 989 led to an informal out-of-court outcome.
- 123 cases led to a formal out-of-court outcome (i.e. a caution).
- 122 cases were dealt with by an intervention or educational programme.
There were 7,449 drug seizures in Wales during 2022-238, which is low compared to the number of annual seizures since 2006. 70% of seizures were cannabis, with only 24.6% of seizures being for Class A drugs – and the vast majority of those were powder cocaine.
County lines & Wales
This pretty much explains it:
There are two elements here: the number of people imprisoned for drug-related crime and drugs within the prison estate.
The criminal justice system in Wales is run by the UK Government, though the Welsh Government and local authorities are responsible for support services used by prisons. These include adult education, health services and social services.
Although there’s seemingly no Wales-only breakdown of the figures, as of March 20249, about 17% of the prison population in EnglandandWales (a little over 12,000 people) were subject to a custodial sentence for drug offences. Only prisoners convicted for sex offences and violence make up a larger proportion of the prison population.
The average custodial sentence for drug offences in 202010 was 21.1 months – though average custodial penalties for trafficking (43.6 months) were much longer than average sentences for possession (3.9 months).
As for substance abuse problems in prisons themselves, that’s an issue in its own right. It’s timely given the recent news of up to 10 deaths (in 2024 as of June) associated with synthetic drugs at the privately-run Parc Prison in Bridgend.
Cardiff University research from 201811 – submitted as part of a UK Parliament Welsh Affairs Committee inquiry into drugs in the prison estate – found a 475% increase in the number of alcohol and drug finds in Welsh prisons between 2013-2018.
Even back then, new psychoactive substances/synthetic drugs were known to be a problem – reportedly showing up in up to 60% of positive drug tests. An HM Inspectorate of Prisons report from 2017-18 also suggested that up to 13% of adult prisoners developed a drug problem whilst in prison.
One of the first things to note is, of course, how baffling it is that drugs manage to get into a controlled and secure environment.
Other than “brute force” methods of drug smuggling (i.e. smuggling it in through the mail or throwing it over a wall), it may involve collusion with prison officers (taking advantage of staff shortages and low pay), or even the use of more “creative” methods such as drones.
6. Office of National Statistics (24th April 2024). “Crime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables”. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/policeforceareadatatables
7. UK Government, Home Office. “Outcomes open data, year ending December 2023”. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
8. UK Government, Home Office (18th January 2024). “Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, financial year ending 2023”. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seizures-of-drugs-in-england-and-wales-financial-year-ending-2023
9. UK Government, Ministry of Justice (25th April 2024). “Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2023”. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2023
10. UK House of Commons Library Research Briefing (23rd December 2021). “Drug Crime: Statistics for England and Wales”. Available at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9039/CBP-9039.pdf
11. Cardiff University, Wales Governance Centre (10th September 2018). “New data reveals scale of drug and alcohol finds in Welsh prisons”. Available at: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1273991-new-data-reveals-scale-of-drug-and-alcohol-finds-in-welsh-prisons
