Increased cocaine use in UK sees SOCA under fire

The amount of the drug cocaine that was seized in the last year at UK borders has decreased, leading calls for the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) to be placed under a watchdog as MP’s call for greater scrutiny.

Soca is the UK’s leading organisation for managing drug control but a new report has been scathing in its criticism of the organisation, citing lack of transparency and accountability as serious flaws in its methods. A Home Affairs Committee has unveiled the damning report on Soca which has been compared to the British version of the FBI.

The committee claimed that far from managing to decrease the use of cocaine as has been successfully done in other countries, the UK has bucked the trend as local usage has increased. The committee also declared that Soca would need to do a lot more in order to justify its annual budget of £500 million. Measurable targets have been called for in the light of revelations that Soca spends £15 for every £1 seized via criminal gang activity.

Last year Soca seized 38 tonnes of cannabis and 85 tonnes of cocaine, adding that halting the cocaine importation was its primary goal. However, figures released by The Independent on Sunday showed that seizures had decreased against previous years. Across the rest of Europe the trend has slowed and stabilised.