$8 million in opium seized at Port of Vancouver
The largest port on the Canadian Pacific coast witnessed a record seizure of opium.
By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas & Pacific Correspondent
VANCOUVER — The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the record seizure of over $8 million in opium via an illicit smuggling operation that ran through the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia.
“This seizure demonstrates the remarkable partnership the CBSA and the RCMP have when it comes to preventing illicit drugs from entering Canada and ensuring the safety and security of Canadians every day,” said Yvette-Monique Gray, the pacific region director for the CBSA Enforcement and Intelligence Operations Division, in a press statement.
The Maritime Executive reports that the law enforcement operation took several months of investigation. Both agencies targeted container terminals at Canada’s busiest ports. After inquiry, the investigation led authorities to the Port of Vancouver. There, the agencies were able to intercept drug shipments through the use of “a wide range of detection tools and technology and detector dogs, the officers examined the two containers to locate a shipment of drugs.”
2,500 individual packages of opium, all weighing 400 grams, for a total of 1,000 kilograms, were detected. These suspected packages were found in containers shipped from overseas and even offloaded by longshoremen and other dock workers.
