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Police record a 10% rise in cocaine-linked crimes, including assaults and domestic abuse, as England's consumption surges 26%

Police record a 10% rise in cocaine-linked crimes, including assaults and domestic abuse, as England's consumption surges 26%

Officers recorded a minimum of 29,922 crimes in which cocaine was mentioned in 2025, equivalent to 63.4 per 100,000 people, up from 57.7 in 2019. Nearly one in five was a violent offence. Sewage testing suggests England got through 123,000kg of the drug in 2024-25, about 2.5bn lines worth £9.8bn on the street. Rock-bottom prices and high purity are fuelling the binge.

Deaths linked to cocaine have climbed to record levels across Britain.

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