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Cocaine overtakes heroin as the biggest drug killer in England and Wales for the FIRST time on record

London recorded the highest death toll at 177, while cocaine-related crime including assaults and dangerous driving has climbed 10% since 2019.
London recorded the highest death toll at 177, while cocaine-related crime including assaults and dangerous driving has climbed 10% since 2019.
Cocaine deaths overtaking every other substance in England and Wales, with fatalities involving the drug now eight times the 2010 level.
Cocaine deaths overtaking every other substance in England and Wales, with fatalities involving the drug now eight times the 2010 level.

ONS figures show 1,233 people in England and Wales died from cocaine in 2025 — quadruple the toll from ten years earlier and eight times the 2010 figure — as the drug now accounts for 22% of all drug-poisoning deaths. The shift marks the first time cocaine has overtaken heroin since records began in 1993, with charities demanding the government act immediately.

Deaths are skewed heavily toward middle age: 64% of cocaine victims were over 40, with men making up nearly eight in ten fatalities.

Purity has surged from 32% thirteen years ago to over 80% today, driven by a South American production boom, with users unknowingly taking far greater risks.

Ketamine deaths have also spiked sharply, rising from seven in 2015 to 115 in 2025, as a planned addiction treatment investment programme has been put on hold.

MoreDaily MailCocaine death map of England: The regions with the most victimsThe GuardianCocaine overtakes heroin as leading cause of drug deaths in England and WalesThe GuardianAgeing users and record deaths – the data behind Britain’s multibillion-pound cocaine habitYahoo News UK‘Ultra-strength’ cocaine hits UK streets as deaths surge to record highUA.NEWSCocaine overtakes heroin in number of deaths in England and Wales — The Guardian - UA.NEWS
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