BBC wrongly reports that everyone in Britain does 1711kg of cocaine a year
Cocaine consumption in Britain may be high, at an estimated 117 tonnes, according to the NCA, but a recent BBC report placed the usage at a comical amount.
BBC Radio 2 accidentally reported that Britain consumes 117,000,000 tonnes of cocaine each year.
Those statistics mean that for every one of the 68,350,000 people living in Britain, 1711kg of cocaine would be consumed each year.
Jeez.
It’s difficult to estimate the exact amount of cocaine Brits use each year, but the 117 tonnes estimate has remained the same since around 2019, according to Full Fact.
Metro has contacted the BBC for comment.
However, tests of wastewater in England and Scotland found that cocaine consumption actually increased by around 7% between 2023 and 2024, meaning the white powder is still popular.
In fact, data shows that cocaine use has hit record levels across the world, and the UK consumes the most out of Europe.
Drug smuggling in the UK has become an even bigger issue, with some smugglers fitting huge hauls of cocaine with trackers and leaving them to float at sea in an effort to beat authorities.
South American gangs are wrapping up tens of millions of pounds worth of cocaine at a time and fixing to devices whose live location can be viewed by their clients in the British drug underworld.
The packages are transported across the Atlantic on so-called ‘mother’ ships, officials say.
Addicts aren’t the only ones suffering from drug use.
Thousands of babies have been born hooked on drugs in England over the past decade, data revealed.
More than 1,000 newborns received treatment in England’s hospitals each year since 2014 after experiencing withdrawal symptoms from addictive substances.
The babies suffered from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), meaning they experienced withdrawal after their mothers consumed addictive substances or medication during pregnancy.
Nearly 12,600 cases of NAS have been recorded in England’s hospitals over the past decade, according to data obtained through freedom of information laws.
Just days ago, a London Underground commute turned sour when a man suddenly pulled out drug paraphernalia.
Tube passengers could hardly believe their eyes when a passenger tried to light up a crack pipe inside a Victoria line carriage.
Another commuter said they were on going home from work when ‘a dirty, scuffy-looking man’ was behaving ‘oddly and attempting to light a small, metal pipe.’
The passenger, who shared the ordeal on Reddit, said they thought he was drunk and tried to tell him to stop before realising ‘he was attempting to light up some crack.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.