How much drugs are confiscated in Australia as authorities reveal new narcotic on the rise

A record haul of illicit drugs was confiscated by authorities in Australia last financial year, with the estimated street value edging $10 billion.

The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s annual Illicit Drug Data Report, released on Wednesday, found 38.5 tonnes of illicit drugs were seized nationally in 2019/20.

It marks a 45 per cent year-on-year increase in seizures and has been attributed to a spike in detections of amphetamine type stimulants (ATS) such as ice and speed.

In the longer term, the weight of national illicit drugs seizures has grown 314 per cent, from 9.3 tonnes in 2010/11.

The estimated street value of all the amphetamines, MDMA, cannabis, cocaine and heroin seized nationally in 2019/20 is about $9.7 billion, of which amphetamines accounted for nearly 90 per cent.

ACIC chief executive Michael Phelan says the illicit drug market remains highly lucrative and demand is growing for a wide variety of substances.

‘The trade in illicit drugs continues to be the principal source of profit for serious and organised crime in our country, with criminals at the centre motivated by power and greed,’ he said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘Despite the harm it causes to families and the broader community, Australians continue to line the pockets of organised crime groups who are deliberately targeting our country.’

The ACIC report, which features arrest, detection, seizure, purity, profiling and price data, notes the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions may have impacted domestic and international trends.

It identified the ATS and cannabis markets remain large and are potentially expanding, the heroin market is still small but appears to be growing and the cocaine market continues to expand.

Other drug markets remain small but the intelligence agency is on alert to the expanding trade of hallucinogens such as GHB/GBL and 1-4 butanediol

‘There was a record number and weight of these drugs seized this reporting period, and a record number of GHB/GBL clandestine laboratories detected in 2019/20,’ Mr Phelan said.