The Minister for Crime and Policing (Kit Malthouse):...I give a
real-life example. You will remember, Dr Huq, that early last year
the National Crime Agency undertook an operation called Venetic,
which revealed a variety of information about organised criminal
gangs producing and importing drugs into the UK. As part of that
operation, the NCA managed to bust open a factory in Kent, where
they discovered 27 million street benzo tablets, which had been
manufactured and were specifically...Request free trial
The Minister for Crime and Policing ():...I give a real-life example. You will
remember, Dr Huq, that early last year the National Crime Agency undertook an
operation called Venetic, which revealed a variety of information
about organised criminal gangs producing and importing drugs into
the UK. As part of that operation, the NCA managed
to bust open a factory in Kent, where they discovered 27 million
street benzo tablets, which had been manufactured and were
specifically targeted at Scotland—27 million is quite a lot of
tablets for each and every Scot. The impact of the drugs,
particularly north of the border, is very significant and I hope
that the order today will contribute to their control...
(Croydon
Central) (Lab):...On the three benzodiazepines covered by
this order, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs provides
some statistics, some of which the Minister highlighted, and
background information. On flualprazolam, the report
states:
“In the UK, several identifications of the compound have been
reported from seizures and samples analysed by National
Crime Agency…as well as anecdotal reports of use from
clients in receipt of treatment from Postscript360, a Bristol-based
charity”—
the Minister referred to it—
“providing treatment solutions and referral pathways for
people with benzodiazepine dependence. This indicates significant
availability of this compound in UK markets…As of March 2020, there
have been 12 flualprazolam-associated deaths in the UK recorded by
regional statistical agencies...In October 2019, an unknown number
of deaths were reported in Stockton-on-Tees where flualprazolam was
the only psychoactive substance present.”
...The Government’s failure to dismantle organised criminal
gangs and the supply of drugs has led to a rampant rise in illegal
drug use. The National Crime Agency’s latest
annual plan, for 2020-21, revealed that more than 3,000 deal lines
were identified in 2019, of which 800 to 1,000 lines are estimated
to be active during a given month. The Children’s Commissioner for
England has estimated that 27,000 children are gang members, and
modelling done by Crest identified 213,000 vulnerable children. The
strongest and most dangerous drugs are becoming more accessible,
and the drug networks are driving violence and child criminal
exploitation...
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