Border Agency Seizes 200 Kg of Opium in Shipments Originating in United Arab Emirates

A Canada Border Services Agency patch is seen on an officer in Calgary on Aug. 1, 2019. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) uncovered a total of 196 kilograms of opium concealed within incoming shipments originating from the United Arab Emirates in August.

A CBSA press release on Sept. 28 said its officers and a detector dog discovered 150 kg. of opium concealed within the interior of a piece of steel machinery at a container examination facility in Burnaby, B.C., on Aug. 15.

The shipment was identified for examination by the National Targeting Centre, a CBSA unit responsible for targeting analytics and pre-arrival risk assessments of all passengers and commercial goods entering Canada.

On Aug. 28, border officers and a detector dog at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility seized another 46 kg. of opium found inside a piece of furniture.

Both shipments had their origins in the United Arab Emirates, Alyssa McDonald, regional communications officer for the CBSA, told The Epoch Times via email. Both seizures have been referred to the B.C. RCMP  for further investigation.

“Our Agency is proud to have prevented nearly 200 kg of opium from entering Canada. These seizures demonstrate the diligence and detection capabilities of our border services officers and the important role of our intelligence operations in keeping these harmful drugs out of our communities,” Nina Patel, CBSA’s regional director general of the Pacific Region, said in the release.

According to the agency’s data, the agency has made more than 14,500 seizures at Canada’s border entry points in the first quarter of 2023. Seized goods encompass various hard drugs, including over 3.7 million grams of cannabis, nearly 340,000 gm. of cocaine, and over 5,000 gm. of heroin. The data also reveals the seizure of nearly 20 million gm. of other narcotics and drugs.

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.