Border agents in B.C. have seized 70 kilograms of cocaine in what has been called the largest cocaine seizure at the Osoyoos port of entry.
Border agents uncovered bricks of cocaine following an examination of the vehicle, CBSA said.
There was enough cocaine for an estimated 140,000 individual doses, according to CBSA.
“With this significant seizure, illegal drugs will not end up in our communities, and the profits will not end up in the hands of organized crime,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said.
The agency said the driver was arrested and transferred to RCMP custody.
Nina Patel, CBSA regional director general for the Pacific region, said the drug seizure demonstrated the expertise of border agents in keeping illegal drugs out of Canada.
Patel also thanked the RCMP for “ongoing collaboration” to help ensure “public safety.”
CBSA seized a total of 3,479,433 grams of cocaine for fiscal year 2024–2025, according to its website.
Between Jan. 1 and July 10, the agency seized 1,164 kilograms of cocaine coming from the United States and 514 kilograms from other countries, according to a CBSA email to The Epoch Times.
One of those seizures was first announced by CBSA in June, saying agents had found $400,000 worth of cocaine coming into Canada through Pearson International Airport.
Border agents found the 3.5 kilograms of drugs hidden in shoes that were being transported into Canada by a traveller arriving from Guyana. CBSA told The Epoch Times that it could not disclose the individual’s citizenship due to the Privacy Act.
Both the traveller and the drugs were handed over to the RCMP, CBSA said at the time.
Earlier in the year, CBSA seized 42 kilograms of cocaine at the Coutts border crossing in Alberta. The drugs were found on a commercial truck crossing the border from Montana on Jan. 18.
The truck was bound for Calgary, but was ordered to undergo a secondary examination, CBSA said.
During the search, border agents located two cardboard boxes that contained multiple cocaine bricks. The drugs had an estimated street value of more than $1 million.
The cocaine seizures come after Canada announced it had directed $1.3 million into improving security at the border. The December 2024 announcement was in response to then-U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatening tariffs against Canada and Mexico, saying the countries had to do more to stop the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants into the United States.
