CBSA seizes 60 methamphetamine shipments going to Australia

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) says that over six months this summer, it found and seized over 60 shipments of methamphetamine that were bound for Australia.

In a news conference on Tuesday, the CBSA said all the shipments were found in B.C. between March and August of this year.

The shipments allegedly contained 397 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 1,278 litres of liquid methamphetamine. The CBSA said the seizures would produce a combined total of “approximately 8 million individual doses.”

Rahul Coelho, Metro Vancouver CBSA director, explained that as the illicit drug market in Australia commands “significantly higher” prices than in Canada, “this is for transnational criminal networks to generate substantive profits.”

“Make no mistake, even if the contraband is being exported from Canada, it still has an effect right here at home,” he said.

“It impacts our communities, causes social harm, and puts money into the hands of criminals. Organized crime knows no boundaries and has implications for us all,” Coelho shared.

The CBSA shared that the seizures occurred at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility, the Fraser Surrey Docks, the Vancouver International Mail Centre, the Vancouver International Cargo Operations, and the Vancouver International Passenger Operations.

“International drug smuggling is a threat to the safety and security of our communities. The seizures announced today are examples of how the CBSA works with domestic and international partners to disrupt criminal networks and keep illegal drugs off our streets.” Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The announcement of the seizures comes just weeks after a Canadian woman was arrested in Australia after allegedly smuggling 14.4 kg of methamphetamine into the Asia-Pacific nation.

According to the Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police, the unnamed woman began her journey in Vancouver, flying to Brisbane International Airport via Fiji.

On July 28, the 24-year-old woman was stopped to have her bags examined, the ABF shared in a release on Sept. 3. It explains officers allegedly found methamphetamine wrapped inside towels “that has been soaked in vinegar and layered with coffee beans.”

“Testing of the packages returned a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine,” the ABF stated.

The woman now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison under the Australian Criminal Code.