Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what further steps she is taking to tackle illegal drugs gangs in the UK.

Illegal drugs devastate lives, ruin families and damage communities. The Government is committed to tackling these harms, including drug-related gang activity.

Our ten-year Drug Strategy, From Harm to Hope, sets out a whole system approach to combat illicit drugs through its three priorities: breaking drug supply chains; delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system; and achieving a significant reduction in demand for illicit drugs.

The Home Office has committed £300m of dedicated investment over three years to tackle every phase of the drug supply chain and make it considerably harder for criminal gangs to operate.

With this funding we are supporting intelligence-led approaches to interdict and seize drugs as they cross the UK border, and prevent criminal groups from bringing drugs to our streets. Across the whole of the UK, the National Crime Agency, Border Force, and local police are working in partnership, using intelligence and technology to secure our borders against the activities of drugs gangs, prevent drug trafficking and bring those responsible to justice.

Through the strategy, we are also funding upstream activity to tackle overseas drug supply, which is aimed at disrupting the criminal networks seeking to traffic illegal drugs to the UK, and building resilience into supply chains.

The full strategy can be found here. From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)