Border Force seized 1,298kg of ketamine in the first quarter of 2026, the highest quarterly total in 15 years, according to Home Office figures reported on 28 August 2026. The total was a 42% increase on the final three months of 2025, when almost 915kg was intercepted, and exceeded the previous record of 1,238kg seized in the second quarter of 2025. At Harwich International Port alone, officers seized 300kg over the past year, including 100kg and 200kg from drivers arriving from the Hook of Holland in February and May.

The same quarterly figures showed more than 59,000 doses of nitrous oxide seized, against just over 35,000 in the previous quarter, and more than 9,000kg of cocaine. Herbal cannabis accounted for around 85% of all drug seizures by weight. The Home Office said regular ketamine use can cause irreversible bladder and urinary tract damage and can be fatal in serious cases.

Home Office Minister Jo White credited Border Force officers' vigilance and said seizures prevent harm and disrupt organised crime. The department also said the Home Secretary had secured a new agreement with Five Eyes partners—the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand—at the Five Country Ministerial in Sydney on synthetic opioids. It said nitazenes can be between 50 and 500 times more potent than heroin, and that more than 1,000 confirmed UK deaths were linked to synthetic opioids between 1 June 2023 and 5 June 2025.