Wastewater analysis shows cocaine and ice use at record highs
Queenslanders are consuming record quantities of illicit drug ice – 720 kilograms more than the previous year, according to the latest wastewater analysis.
A National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program analysis of samples from 64 facilities across the country measured the presence of illicit substances such as methylamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA and heroin.
The latest report shows record levels of cocaine and methylamphetamine (also known as ice and crystal meth) across all Australian territories between December 2024 and October 2025.
Queensland’s annual increase in ice use was the second highest of any state or territory, according to a report by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.
ice one Highly addictive stimulant often associated with chronic, recurring addiction.
ACIC chief executive Heather Cook said data from the wastewater report showed the burden high-risk stimulant use continued to place on emergency services, families and first responders.
“These are not abstract numbers; they represent real harms and real consequences in hospitals, homes and communities across the country,” Cook said.
“Limited treatment options, particularly for methylamphetamine, constrain demand and constrain harm reduction efforts.”
As well as meth, cocaine consumption in Queensland also increased by 17 per cent, the highest level in regional areas, although many centers in Brisbane reported consistently high levels of the drug.
The presence of MDMA, a popular party drug, and ketamine, a recreational and medical substance, was also high in regional wastewater facilities.
Cook said the growth in Australia’s illicit drugs market was driven by “persistent” and “highly innovative” transnational criminal networks taking advantage of the country’s high-demand environment.
“Every time law enforcement closes the door, [organised crime groups] “Find a window and try to climb through it with increasingly complex concealment strategies,” he said.
“The scale of the markets reflected in the wastewater data shows how determined these groups are to maintain supply.”
Earlier this month, Queensland police seized large quantities of illicit drugs – 90 kilograms of cocaine, 16 kilograms of meth, 311 kilograms of ketamine and 58 kilograms of MDMA – and arrested four men in south-east Queensland following a major investigation into an organized crime syndicate with links across Australia.
This follows a raid in March where five people were arrested after a total of 156 kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin and ketamine were seized at units in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Acting Detective Chief Inspector Craig McGrath said “removing drugs of this scale from circulation has a direct impact on community safety” and reduces harm to “individuals, families and frontline responders across Queensland”.
Cook said the intelligence collected through the wastewater pharmaceutical program helps authorities identify changes in drug markets “sometimes before they become visible elsewhere” and provides “health agencies, policymakers and law enforcement with the tools they need to respond.”
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