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Police called in after traces of cocaine found at numerous spots in British parliament

Cocaine in parliament?

British parliamentary authorities say they are calling in the police after a newspaper reported traces of cocaine had been found at numerous sites in parliament.

The Sunday Times reported traces of cocaine were found in 11 locations that are only accessible by accredited parliamentary lawmakers, staff and journalists, including a washroom near Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s parliamentary office.

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said the reports were “deeply concerning” and he would raise them with police “as a priority.”

The allegations emerged as the government announced a new strategy to combat drug abuse and drug-related crime. The plans published Monday call for more resources to rehabilitate addicts, alongside a police clampdown on drug dealers and traffickers.

The government also plans to target recreational drug users to suppress demand for narcotics, including by contacting clients found in drug dealers’ seized phones “with a range of messages to discourage their drug use.”

Johnson’s spokesman, Max Blain, said Monday the reports “are concerning.”

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said reports of drug use in parliament weren't surprising.

“There are obviously several thousand people who work on the estate, and I would be surprised if there weren’t some lifestyle users of drugs amongst them,” he told Sky News.



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