– After many years of decline, we have seen an increase in the last two years. In the first half of this year alone, the total number of drug seizures has increased by 13 per cent from the first half of last year, says Kari Solvik, head of the section for drug analysis at Kripos, to NTB.
The decisive peak came in 2014 with a total of 16,405 cases. The number of seizures has mostly been falling in the years that followed – until last year. Then the number of seizures increased again. The trend is confirmed in the first half of the year, with a marked increase from the same period in 2023, according to Kripos’ half-yearly overview of seizures made by the police and customs.
Although the numbers are still modest compared to the years after the turn of the millennium, there are some trends that are clear – cocaine and MDMA are on the rise and the degree of strength has increased sharply.
In addition to the increase in the number of seizures, Solvik highlights some other clear trends:
More and stronger cocaine
* Amounts of cocaine seized are back to a more normal level after the record seizures last year, when some giant cases pulled up the total amount. The first half of the year is roughly on average if you disregard the deviations in 2023. A degree of strength of 72 per cent is still very high historically.
– We have seen over several years that cocaine makes up an increasingly large proportion of the total seizures. Just five or six years ago, cocaine accounted for around 4 per cent of all cases, now we are up to 9-10 per cent. There is no doubt that there is a lot of cocaine on the Norwegian market, says Solvik.
* The number of MDMA seizures increased by 47 per cent in the past year, after a decreasing trend since 2020. The quantities are large in a ten-year perspective, and the tablets are of high strength.
Solvik recognizes the descriptions of strongly increasing cocaine use in Norway and Oslo and emphasizes that the development is something that Kripos has already pointed out for a few years. She believes there may be a connection between the prominent role cocaine has been given, and the increase in MDMA seizures.
– Cocaine and MDMA often appeal to the same user groups – such as youth and party environments. Although cocaine is widespread among several user groups, cocaine and MDMA also have a common group of users, says Solvik.
Record-breaking benzo seizures
* Hashish, with 29 per cent of the seizures, is still the type of drug most often taken by the police and customs. Together with marijuana, hashish makes up 39 percent of all drug seizures. In total, the number of cannabis seizures was 5 percent higher than last year. Somewhat more hashish was taken than last year and significantly more marijuana.
* The number of heroin seizures has been decreasing for many years and was 23 per cent lower in the first half of the year than in the same period last year. The amounts are among the lowest in the last decade, and the average degree of strength of 8 percent is historically low.
* Record-breaking amounts of benzodiazepines have been seized, mainly tablets labeled “Xalol 1 mg”, “Bensedin 10 mg” and “Rivotril 2 mg”. After several overdose deaths, concerns have been raised that the packages of sedatives contain something other than what appears on the packaging. Kripos’ analyzes show that the active ingredient and strength match the information.
– Our analyzes do not provide cover for assuming that what is inside the packages is something other than what it purports to be, says Solvik.
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2024-08-15 02:00:34
