BRITAIN'S ILLEGAL DRUGS TRADE WORTH UKP 8BN A YEAR

Britain's illegal drugs trade is worth up to UKP 8bn a year, a Home
Office report has revealed.

Drugs are smuggled into the country by 300 major importers and
distributed by 3,000 gangs, the research showed. The contraband is
then sold on to users by 70,000 dealers, some with hundreds of customers.

The dealers earn an average of UKP 100,000 a year and their annual
turnover is estimated at between UKP 7bn and UKP 8bn -- equivalent to
more than 40 per cent of Britain's alcohol sales and one third of its
tobacco sales.

The Home Office study was based on 220 interviews with convicted
dealers. It discovered enormous mark-ups in the value of class-A drugs
between their production abroad and sale.

Cocaine costs UKP 325 per kilo to manufacture in South America. By the
time it is sold in Britain, after being smuggled via the Caribbean,
its value has risen to UKP 51,650 per kilo. Afghani heroin costs about
UKP 450 per kilo to make but sells for UKP 75,750.