1 THE COMMITTEE'S INQUIRY
1. The Committee was concerned by data from the British
Crime Survey 2007/08 showing that the percentage of individuals
using cocaine within the last year in the UK had risen from 0.6%
in 1996 to 2.3% in 2007/08.[1]
We were keen to understand better the nature and cause of the
increase in cocaine use and the effectiveness or otherwise of
Government efforts to tackle the international trade in cocaine.
Accordingly on 21 May 2009 we announced our intention to conduct
an inquiry into the cocaine trade, focusing particularly on:
- Whether cocaine powder is now
a street drug rather than just one used recreationally by the
relatively well-to-do;
- The influence of 'celebrity cocaine culture'
as criticised in the UNODC's critical report on the UK in 2008;
- The effectiveness of advertising campaigns in
deterring use;
- Trends in the use of crack cocaine;
- International collaboration: the responses of
the producer countries;
- International collaboration: the EU's external
borders;
- International collaboration: effects on the transit
countries;
- SOCA's role;
- HMRC's role; and
- The police response: possession and dealing.[2]
2. We took oral evidence on seven occasions between
May and December 2009, and received 31 written submissions. A
full list of those who gave evidence is annexed.
3. We conducted two overseas visits to inform our
inquiry: one to Lisbon, Portugal and Madrid, Spain; and the other
to the Netherlands. Spain is the most common point of entry to
the EU for cocaine smuggling, has the highest number of seizures
and of cocaine users in Europe. Lisbon is home to the EU's official
drugs agency, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug
Addiction (EMCDDA). The Netherlands is both a major European transit
country for cocaine smuggling—with small-scale imports through
Schiphol international airport and large-scale imports via container
ships at Rotterdam port—and has a high prevalence of cocaine
use, similar to the UK. In Lisbon we visited the Maritime Analysis
and Operations Centre—Narcotics (MAOC-N) and the EMCDDA.
In Madrid we visited the Spanish Intelligence Centre for Organised
Crime (CICO), and met anti-drugs prosecutors. In the Netherlands
we visited the container port at Rotterdam, and Schiphol international
airport, Amsterdam.
4. In addition we conducted various fact-finding
visits within the UK: to Maidstone and Westminster to observe
anti-drugs night-time operations with Kent police and the Metropolitan
police; and to Heathrow airport to observe customs checks on incoming
flights.
5. We should like to thank all those who gave oral
evidence, took the time to furnish us with written submissions,
or hosted our visits, all of which proved valuable in our deliberations.
1 Home Office Statistical Bulletin, Drug Misuse Declared:
Findings from the 2007/08 British Crime Survey, England and Wales,
(July 2009), p.13. By the conclusion of our inquiry, figures from
the British Crime Survey for 2008/09 showed that this had increased
to 3.0%. Back
2
Home Affairs Committee press notice dated 22 May 2009 http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/home_affairs_committee/090522b.cfm Back
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