Cocaine busts in London record high

<p>Evening Standard investigation reveals cocaine seizures in London soared over 1,500 per cent in the past decade.</p><p>Usage has become so prevalent that there’s even cocaine traces in the capital’s waste water amid a “glut” of the Class A drug.</p><p>Metropolitan Police data shows officers seized over a ton of powdered cocaine with an estimated street value of £105 million last year - the most on record.</p><p>Experts say the drug, once a preserve of the wealthy and middle classes, is now so common it is viewed as more “socially acceptable” despite links to violent crime, heart attacks, stroke and depression - coupled with its smuggling journey of violence and misery to the UK.</p><p>So who’s fuelling London’s cocaine boom, are police struggling to get a grip on the menace - and is it time for a rethink in drugs strategy?</p><p>The Leader podcast is joined by Evening Standard crime correspondent Anthony France.</p><p>We discuss violent gang links to the drug trade, county lines connections, how smugglers are busted and cocaine’s pervasiveness despite the health risks.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>