Law enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom report seizing around a gram of heroin per hour and an equal quantity of cocaine every six seconds in Bristol and its neighboring areas. Avon and Somerset police officers reportedly seized about 9.7 kilograms of heroin during 2016-17. According to media reports, the heroin seizures made in 2016-17 are three times higher than the quantity seized in 2015-16. Interestingly, the amount of methadone seized has also seen a threefold increase in a year, while crack cocaine seizures in the area have risen by leaps and bounds since 2009-10, with 1.4 kilograms being seized during 2016-17.

Around 95 percent of the drug seizures were made by different police departments across England and Wales. In terms of the volume of seizures, the Border Force seized approximately 69 percent of heroin, 82 percent of cocaine, 96 percent of anabolic steroids, 71 per cent of herbal cannabis and 76 percent of all cannabis resin. The Border Force seized a total of 4,503 kilograms of cocaine in 2016-17.

Similar situation prevails in US

In the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers report mammoth drug bust all across the 2,000 miles of international border stretching from San Diego in California to Brownsville in Texas. Cross-border drug trafficking has always been the easiest way to push illegal and deadly drugs from the Mexican side into U.S. territory to meet the insatiable demands of American consumers nationwide. The largely uninhabited landscape provides a host of opportunities for drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) to transport huge quantities of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S., from where the drugs are moved to stash houses all over California and Arizona before reaching other key distribution centers in the country.

America is languishing in the throes of a dangerous heroin and opioid crisis, fueled by the never-ending influx of cheap drugs from Mexico. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 33,000 deaths were reported in 2015 involving heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioids. Official data suggests opioid-overdose fatalities across the U.S. have quadrupled since 1999. Substance use disorder (SUD) is one of the biggest public health concerns in the country. There is a dire need to educate citizens about the crisis. Millions of families across the country have suffered tremendous losses due to drugs and the need of the hour is to overcome addiction and restore sobriety.

The good thing is that addiction to harmful drugs like heroin and cocaine can be treated with timely medical interventions. If a person is grappling with substance use disorder, he/she should seek immediate professional assistance from a top-notch drug addiction treatment provider. Remember that drug addiction can have life-threatening consequences, if left untreated.

Hooked Sober is a source of information on drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and mental disorders. Please send your questions, concerns or comments to [email protected] or speak to a representative at 866-838-4087.