The Newshound

Cocaine-linked crime rises 10% while Britons snort an estimated 2.5bn lines a year worth £9.8bn

Cocaine-linked crime rises 10% while Britons snort an estimated 2.5bn lines a year worth £9.8bn

Police recorded at least 29,922 crimes mentioning cocaine in 2025, a rate of 63.4 per 100,000 people, up from 57.7 in 2019. Nearly one in five of those offences were violent, including assaults, domestic abuse and dangerous driving. Home Office sewage testing shows usage up 26% since 2021, with 123,000kg consumed in England in 2024-25. Rock-bottom prices and high purity are fuelling the surge.

Deaths linked to the class A drug have climbed to record levels as users grow older.

MoreThe GuardianAgeing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s £9.8bn-a-year cocaine habitThe GuardianCocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surgesThe GuardianHow cocaine conquered the UK: in pubs, festivals and workplaces the drug has become an everyday habitDaily Mail NewsEx soldiers use military training to smuggle £34mn of cocaine into UK
Read today's full feed at The Newshound →