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Page 5 of 8  Pam and Philip James at Arwenack House, which was built partly on the proceeds of smuggling antics of the Killigrew family. Photograph by Celine Smith. Angela Eagle, HM Treasury parliamentary secretary, gave a written answer in October 2007 saying: “HM Revenue and Customs have not made any estimate of the number of yachts and pleasure craft arrivals to the UK. We do not record centrally the number of challenges made on such craft.” Asked how many Customs officers have been covering Cornwall in each of the last five years, and how many kilos of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis have been seized, she replied: “HM Revenue and Customs do not disclose the numbers of staff deployed to specific locations, as to do so would provide information to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.” Yet the statistics are damning, with seizures of class A drugs falling for the last four years. In April 2006, the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) came into being, its main priorities to tackle drugs trafficking, and people trafficking and smuggling. By autumn 2007, its performance was slammed, as drug seizures tumbled, and so did the street price of cocaine and heroin as availability increased. |
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