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.
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.
