Sydney is the cocaine and heroin capital of Australia, new data in ACIC wastewater report shows

Sydney is still the cocaine capital of Australia, but there’s still less of the white powder around. See why and the shocking volume of illicit drugs NSW consumes.

Sydney is the cocaine and heroin capital of Australia, according to the latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program.

The report, by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), also found regional NSW to be heavily-reliant on the two drugs, recording the highest use of all other regional areas.

And regional NSW had the second highest consumption of the often-abused prescription drug fentanyl.

The report found Melbourne is the ecstasy capital of Australia, Adelaide is the methylamphetamine capital, and regional Queensland is the highest user of ketamine.

Darwin had the highest use of nicotine in the country and consumed the most cannabis, while Tasmania took the most fentanyl.

A suspected drug mule was charged after a $22 million ice bust at Melbourne Airport. Supplied: Australian Border Force

The ACIC report, which is researched with data collected and analysed by the Universities of Queensland and South Australia, showed overall in Sydney cocaine use, while still the highest among the capital cities, fell by 32 per cent.

The ACIC believes the drop in cocaine use is because of the huge drug busts that have taken place around the country last year, not because of any drop in demand for the drugs.

The biggest drug bust in Australian history has been pulled off by WA Police late last year after a joint undercover operation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led to the seizure of 2.4 tonnes of cocaine worth about $1 billion dollars.

WA Police made Australia’s biggest cocaine bust seizing 2.4 tonnes cocaine cutting supply around the country.

Last year, NSW police seized 300kg of cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as millions of dollars in cash in Sydney’s west.

In 2021, police seized and destroyed more than 25 tonnes of drugs across the country with an estimated street value of $5 billion.

NSW Police have seized 236kg of cocaine, some of which was branded with Lexus logos. Picture: NSW Police

Australians spent about $10 billion on drugs in 2022 buying more than 14 tonnes of just four drugs – methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and heroin. It was a slight decrease on the previous year according to the report.

Around the country methylamphetamine remains the most consumed drug in Australia by a long way. But during the same period there has been a jump in heroin use.

The use of MDMA, MDA, oxycodone fentanyl cannabis and ketamine increased in capital cities.

The acting ACIC CEO Matt Rippon said it was a concerning amount in both economic cost and the actual expenditure.

He said the cost to the community is enormous through associated acts and incidents including drug fuelled “violence, road trauma, property crime, illness, injury and deaths”.

There has also been a considerable drop in cocaine consumption across the country in the past year since December 2021.

The report is the 18th produced by the ACIC monitoring 58 wastewater plants around the country covering about 57 per cent of the population.

The report compiled results from 9075 samples for 12 drugs including nicotine, alcohol, heroin, methylamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and MDA, prescription drugs with abuse potential oxycodone, fentanyl, as well as cannabis and ketamine.

A snapshot of drug use across the nation between April and August 2022 showed a record low in consumption of cocaine and a huge drop of 41 per cent in MDMA

The drop in MDMA is attributed to shift by overseas organised crime groups to producing more methylamphetamine.

For free advice on drug and alcohol treatment services call the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015.

Originally published as Sydney is the cocaine and heroin capital of Australia, new data in ACIC wastewater report shows