Mr.
Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department
how many seizures of methylamphetamine have been made
by (a) police and (b) HM Customs, in the last 10 years;
and what was the total quantity seized. [79902]
Mr.
George Howarth: Figures for the number of
seizures of methylamphetamine made by the police and
Customs and submitted to the Forensic Science Service
for analysis between 1995 and 1998 are given in the
table. It should be noted that full information is
not available for 1996 and 1997. Equivalent figures
for earlier years (21 Apr 1999 : Column: 580)
can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Not
all seizures of controlled drugs are necessarily submitted
for analysis. Details of all seizures, whether analysed
or not, can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Until late
1997, methylamphetamine represented less than 0.1
per cent. of all amphetamine cases in the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, the amounts seized (mostly white powders)
were generally small with typical purities of less
than 10 per cent. The weight of tablets varies but
is typically in the range 250-300 milligrams and perhaps
has a drug content of 5 per cent.
Use of
this substance is very rare in Europe but is more
prevalent in the United States of America and Japan.
