Border agents have seized almost 150 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in suitcases of outbound passengers at Vancouver International Airport so far this year. Read More
Border agents have seized almost 150 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in suitcases of outbound passengers at Vancouver airport.
Border agents have seized almost 150 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in suitcases of outbound passengers at Vancouver airport.
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Border agents have seized almost 150 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in suitcases of outbound passengers at Vancouver International Airport so far this year.
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The passengers and their illicit packages were bound for Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
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Canadian transnational organization crime groups have become major players in the export of methamphetamine in recent years — some of it produced in super labs here and some of it smuggled into Canada from Mexico.
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The Canada Border Services Agency said that in six instances in 2025, its officers found various amounts of meth concealed in suitcases.
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Sunrise
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On Jan. 18, officers intercepted found 35.7 kilos destined for Hong Kong and “wrapped in gift wrap and hidden in two suitcases.”
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On Jan. 31, they intercepted another 28.5 kilos hidden in coffee bags in two suitcases also tagged for Hong Kong.
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On Feb. 16, they found 23.5 kilos bound for Australia, this time “concealed in packages wrapped in towels soaked with vinegar and cayenne pepper in an attempt to mask the smell.”
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On Feb. 19, they intercepted there different batches of meth — 16.4 kilos in the luggage of someone flying to Australia, another 19.2 also destined for export to Australia and 25.5 headed to New Zealand.
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The CBSA said that in each case, the travellers were arrested by the RCMP.
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CBSA regional director Nina Patel said in the news release that “border services officers are combating illegal drug smuggling and disrupting domestic and international crime networks. These seizures demonstrate the CBSA’s detection and intelligence capabilities and the important role our officers play to keep our communities safe.”
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In 2023 and 2024, the CBSA seized almost 10 tonnes of outbound methamphetamine — most of it destined for Oceania and hidden in container shipments at the Port of Vancouver.
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Last fall, the federal agency released details on more than 60 seizures in B.C. of outbound methamphetamine over a six-month stretch in 2024 — all destined for the lucrative Australian market.
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Some was also found inside wrapped birthday gifts, plastic bottles and even a blanket.
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The largest shipment, seized from a container at Fraser Surrey docks in June 2024, was 1,278 litres of liquid meth hidden inside juice bottles. Authorities replaced it with a dummy shipment, resulting in arrests in Queensland last September.
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CBSA director Rahul Coelho said at the time that “Australia is a top destination for exports of dangerous drugs from Canada.”
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“As the market for narcotics there offers significantly higher prices than in Canada, this is a way for transnational criminal networks to generate substantive profits,” he said.
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Australian federal Police told Postmedia that a kilogram of methamphetamine there can be sold for as much as $184,000. The same kilogram sells for a few thousand dollars in B.C.
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Smugglers switch up their systems depending on enforcement actions — using containers, mules on flights as well as the postal service.
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Blueksy: @kimbolan.bsky.social
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