Officers in B.C. make dozens of seizures of methamphetamine bound for Australia

Canadian border officers in British Columbia have intercepted large quantities of methamphetamine intended for export to Australia, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed this week. Between March and August, officers made 60 separate seizures totalling nearly 400 kilograms of crystal meth and about 1,300 litres of liquid methamphetamine.

The CBSA says the largest single seizure occurred in June at the Fraser Surrey Dock, southeast of Vancouver, when officers discovered the liquid form of the drug during a one-day inspection operation. Other seizures of crystal meth took place at several inspection points, including the Tsawwassen container examination facility, the international mail and cargo centres, and the passenger operations area at Vancouver International Airport.

At the international mail centre alone, officers intercepted 85 kilograms of meth in 54 separate incidents between April and August. Officials say the smuggling attempts reflect increasing sophistication among organized criminal networks using commercial and mail routes to traffic drugs overseas.

The CBSA says the investigation has now been referred to the RCMP in British Columbia, who are coordinating with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force as part of a joint effort to dismantle the networks behind the shipments.