Canada’s Border Battle Against Illicit Drugs: Complex Strategies Surrounding Disrupted Maple Syrup Trade.

The Canadian border enforcement agency engages in an ongoing strategic challenge against criminal enterprises attempting to smuggle hazardous narcotics, including the components for fentanyl, often employing unconventional methods, according to a senior official. Aaron McCrorie, Vice President of Intelligence and Enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), revealed in an interview with CBC’s The House, part of the program’s continuous exploration of the toxic drug crisis, that officers regularly encounter a spectrum of inventive techniques employed by smugglers.

“We see shipments being concealed in in machine parts. Being dissolved in liquids and being shipped as maple syrup, for example. Being hidden in baking tools,” McCrorie told host Catherine Cullen.

“It’s an ever-evolving game where we’re constantly looking at new and different tactics to smuggle drugs into the country or out of the country.”

Canada witnesses an average of 21 daily fatalities due to the toxic drug crisis, with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, implicated in a considerable number of these deaths.

The origins of a significant portion of the fentanyl in Canada, or the substances used to produce it, can be traced overseas. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported the seizure of 496 grams of fentanyl in the initial half of the current year, along with nearly 31,000 kilograms of various narcotics, drugs, and chemicals during the first two quarters of 2023.

A lethal dose is defined as two milligrams of fentanyl.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employs various tools, including canine sniffer teams, in its efforts to prevent the entry of drugs. The House had the opportunity to observe one of these teams in action at the Lansdowne border crossing in eastern Ontario

In a conversation with Cullen, McCrorie reiterated information previously conveyed by the RCMP earlier this month, emphasizing that criminal organizations within Canada manufacture fentanyl for both domestic use and international distribution. According to law enforcement officials, primary markets for Canadian fentanyl encompass the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

“The challenge for us is they’re constantly changing,” McCrorie said.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for new and different ways of concealment, sharing that information with their frontline staff and folks like our dog team so that they can successfully interdict drug shipments coming into the country.”

A notable trend observed by CBSA officials in 2023 is a rising number of shipments containing the essential components of fentanyl rather than the finished drug.

The majority of precursor chemicals for fentanyl are imported into Canada from China, either through direct channels or transshipment via the United States or South American nations, according to law enforcement. Canada has maintained a longstanding collaboration with China to address the influx of illegal fentanyl and other opioids. Recently, the United States agreed to resume its cooperation on this matter after a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping.

McCrorie emphasized that while Canada’s capacity to intercept drugs at the border is a crucial component of the broader effort to combat the toxic drug crisis, it represents only a single facet of the overall strategy.

“It’s not just about interdicting the drugs but it’s also about harm reduction. It’s also about preventing people starting to use these drugs in the first place,” he said.

“I’ve got colleagues all across town, all across the country, all around the world who are tackling this. Every interdiction, even if it’s one dose, we’re saving one life. We just got to keep doing that, keep making a difference and turn the tide.”