Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges

Recorded offences mentioning the drug up 10% since 2019, with wastewater analysis showing 123,000kg consumed in England last year

By LineZotpaper AI staff

Published25 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

British police are recording a growing number of crimes linked to cocaine, including assaults, domestic abuse and dangerous driving, as figures show consumption has surged across England. A Guardian investigation has found police forces across Britain recorded a 10% rise in crime rates associated with the class A drug since 2019, while the Home Office estimates cocaine usage at sites across England has risen by 26% since 2021.

Police recorded at least 29,922 crimes mentioning the word cocaine in 2025, equivalent to 63.4 for every 100,000 people, up from 57.7 in 2019. Figures up to May this year suggest the rate could increase further to about 64 cases per 100,000 people in 2026, a rise of more than 10% over seven years.

A majority of cocaine-associated crimes last year were drug offences, but 18% were violent crimes including stalking and harassment, and one murder case. Just under 4% of crime reports mentioning cocaine were sexual offences, including 344 rapes.

Separate figures highlight cocaine’s role in domestic abuse cases. Nearly six in 10 police drug tests carried out on people arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse were positive for cocaine between July 2025 and June this year. The data, drawn from the Home Office’s drug test on arrest programme, is not representative, but tallies with a 2023 pilot study that found 59% of domestic abuse suspects tested positive for cocaine or opiates.

Analysis of wastewater suggests people in England consumed 123,000kg of cocaine in 2024-25, equivalent to roughly 2.5bn lines, at an estimated street value of almost £10bn. Experts said the rise in consumption can be partly explained by historically low costs and high purity levels.

Martin Gallagher, an author and organised crime expert who served as a police officer in Scotland for 28 years, said cocaine use had become normalised: “It went from being the drug of the social elite to being something taken off the cistern of a toilet in a local pub.”

Harry Sumnall, a professor in substance use at Liverpool John Moores University, said scientific reviews have found no strong evidence that cocaine directly induces violent behaviour, but in domestic violence contexts, intoxication can escalate loss of control and jealousy, making existing abuse more frequent and more severe. He cautioned that a mention of cocaine in a crime record did not prove the drug had caused the offence.

Separate DVLA data obtained by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found that drug-driving offences overtook drink-driving offences for the first time last year. There were 30,707 drug offences added to driving licences in 2025, up 28% since 2022, while drink-driving offences fell 17% to 29,769. Government figures suggest cocaine and cannabis are the most common illegal drugs involved in road fatalities.

Paul Court, a deputy chief constable who is deputy lead for drugs for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, warned that demand for illegal drugs sustained a “highly profitable criminal market built upon violence, exploitation and intimidation”, and that police enforcement alone was not enough. An independent report last year by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs found that the UK lacked a coordinated drug prevention strategy with dedicated funding, despite international evidence showing drug prevention programmes work.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

- Rising cocaine consumption is linked to increases in violent crime, domestic abuse, and drug-driving, directly affecting public safety.

The normalisation of the drug and lack of a coordinated prevention strategy suggest the problem may deepen without policy intervention.
The shift from drink-driving to drug-driving offences highlights a new road safety challenge requiring updated enforcement and education.

Background

Cocaine is a powerful and addictive stimulant that causes euphoria, overconfidence, restlessness and paranoia. Its consumption in the UK has risen in recent years, partly due to historically low costs and high purity. The Guardian obtained data from 39 of 45 police forces under the Freedom of Information Act, using keyword searches of summary notes for crimes mentioning cocaine. The data does not necessarily mean cocaine formed part of the offence. An independent report last year found the UK lacks a coordinated drug prevention strategy with dedicated funding.

Key Perspectives

Martin Gallagher: said cocaine use has become normalised, going from a drug of the social elite to being commonly used in ordinary settings. Harry Sumnall: said scientific reviews find no strong evidence that cocaine directly induces violent behaviour, but intoxication can escalate loss of control and jealousy in domestic abuse situations, making abuse more frequent and severe; he cautioned that a mention of cocaine in a crime record does not prove causation. Paul Court: warned that demand for illegal drugs sustains a highly profitable criminal market built on violence, exploitation and intimidation, and that police enforcement alone cannot solve the problem; he called for reducing demand, preventing drug use, reducing harm, and ensuring access to treatment.

What to Watch

Whether the rate of cocaine-linked crimes continues to rise, as suggested by early 2026 data.
The government’s response to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs report on the lack of a coordinated prevention strategy.
Trends in drug-driving offences, which overtook drink-driving for the first time in 2025.

Sources

Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges · The Guardian
Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges · The Guardian

Checked

11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 7 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedCocaine-linked crimes are rising in Britain as consumption surges.UK news | The Guardian: “Cocaine-linked crimes on the rise in Britain as consumption surges.”
Partly supportedRecorded offences mentioning cocaine are up 10% since 2019.UK news | The Guardian: “A Guardian investigation has found police forces across Britain recorded a 10% rise in crime rates associated with the class A drug since 2019”
Partly supportedWastewater analysis shows 123,000kg of cocaine was consumed in England last year.UK news | The Guardian: “Analysis of wastewater suggests people in England consumed 123,000kg of cocaine in 2024-25.”
SupportedHome Office estimates show cocaine usage at sites across England rose 26% since 2021.UK news | The Guardian: “the Home Office estimates cocaine usage at sites across England has risen by 26% since 2021.”
SupportedMartin Gallagher said: “It went from being the drug of the social elite to being something taken off the cistern of a toilet in a local pub.”UK news | The Guardian: “Martin Gallagher, an author and organised crime expert who served as a police officer in Scotland for 28 years, said cocaine use had become normalised: “It went from being the drug of the social elite to being something taken off the cistern of a toilet in a local pub.””
SupportedThe source reports at least 29,922 crimes mentioning cocaine in 2025, or 63.4 per 100,000 people, up from 57.7 in 2019.UK news | The Guardian: “Police recorded at least 29,922 crimes mentioning the word cocaine in 2025 – equivalent to 63.4 for every 100,000 people. That was up from 57.7 cases for every 100,000 in 2019.”
Partly supportedExperts said historically low costs and high purity levels partly explain the rise in consumption.UK news | The Guardian: “The rise in consumption in recent years can be partly explained by historically low costs, while purity levels have remained high.”
Partly supportedSumnall said intoxication can escalate loss of control and jealousy in domestic violence contexts, making existing abuse more frequent and severe.UK news | The Guardian: “both perpetrators and survivors describe cocaine intoxication escalating loss of control and jealousy, leading to violent incidents, and making existing abuse more frequent and more severe.”
SupportedGallagher said cocaine use had become normalised.UK news | The Guardian: “Martin Gallagher, an author and organised crime expert who served as a police officer in Scotland for 28 years, said cocaine use had become normalised”
SupportedDrug-driving offences overtook drink-driving offences for the first time last year; in 2025, 30,707 drug offences were added to licences and 29,769 drink-driving offences.UK news | The Guardian: “Separate DVLA data obtained by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart found that drug-driving offences overtook drink-driving offences for the first time last year. There were 30,707 drug offences added to driving licences (up by 28% since 2022), and 29,769 drink-driving offences (down by 17%) in 2025.”
SupportedCourt warned that demand for illegal drugs sustained a “highly profitable criminal market built upon violence, exploitation and intimidation”.UK news | The Guardian: “Paul Court, a deputy chief constable who is deputy lead for drugs for the National Police Chiefs’ Council, warned that demand for illegal drugs sustained a “highly profitable criminal market built upon violence, exploitation and intimidation””