A shipment from China intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency earlier this year contained enough of a fentanyl precursor chemical to produce more than a billion doses of the often-deadly drug.
The CBSA shared details of the seizure in a summary of its Pacific Region's "operational and enforcement highlights" Tuesday. BMK Glycidic Acid (Sodium Salt)
The shipment of 1,133 kilograms of Propionyl chloride was declared as "toys" when it came into Canada through Metro Vancouver in May, according to the summary.
It was the first of four large drug shipments from China that the agency seized between May and July. The following month, officers discovered 1,100 kilograms of an MDMA (ecstasy) precursor called PMK Methyl Glycidate in a shipment declared as "various household goods."
A further 338.5 kilograms of PMK Ethyl Glycidate were seized in a separate shipment from China during the same month, the CBSA said. This one was labelled "children’s protective gear."
Finally, in July, officers seized another 303 kilograms of PMK Ethyl Glycidate that had been declared as household goods.
The CBSA said these four seizures – plus another that happened at Vancouver International Airport and involved 70.7 kilograms of Propionyl chloride – were the result of "examination referrals" from the agency's National Targeting Centre.
"The CBSA is committed to preventing illicit drugs and substances from entering Canada," the agency said in its summary.
"The importation of precursor chemicals contributes to an increasingly toxic drug supply that continues to devastate families and our communities."
Through the first 10 months of 2022, B.C. saw 1,827 deaths from suspected illicit drug overdoses. Fentanyl was detected in approximately 82 per cent of cases, according to the BC Coroners Service.
Drug related seizures are not the only "highlights" included in the summary.
According to the CBSA, the Pacific Region – which includes 43 land, air and marine ports of entry into Canada in B.C. and the Yukon – processed 11,441,510 travellers between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 this year.
That's up from just 2,075,652 travellers processed during the same period in 2021, when many pandemic-related travel restrictions were still in place.
The agency's Inland Enforcement Section also issued 124 deportation orders during the timeframe. Fourteen of those were for inadmissibility to Canada for organized crime reasons, 11 were for security reasons and two were for human rights abuses. The remaining 97 were issued for other criminality provisions of the Immigration and and Refugee Protection Act.
"The issuance of these removal orders restricts applications to remain in Canada, thereby paving the way for increased and expedient removal from Canada," the CBSA said in its summary.
The flu has returned with a vengeance after being absent for a couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's hitting children especially hard. Here's what doctors say is happening, and why.
Archaeologists have identified a 4,000-year-old toolkit once owned by a goldsmith, which was found at a significant ancient burial site near Stonehenge.
A medical transport plane with three crew members on board has gone missing on a flight between Maui and the Big Island, according to a statement from the company.
While rates of influenza continue to remain high across the country, recent federal data suggest the situation may be improving as pediatric hospitalizations fell for the first time in weeks.
A hippo has attacked a 2-year-old boy in Uganda, swallowing half of his body before spitting him out, a statement from the Uganda Police Force said on Friday.
A safety notification was issued by Health Canada warning that several hot tubs have been recalled due to 'burn hazard.'
Two UN peacekeepers from Nigeria were killed and four others wounded in an attack Friday on a peace patrol in the town of Timbuktu in northern Mali, the United Nations said.
The 2022 political year saw federal leaders grapple with both unprecedented protests at home and how to respond to wartime needs abroad. It also saw some top politicians take on new positions of power, while Indigenous leaders took their calls for accountability directly to the Vatican. Here are CTV News Channel Power Play's picks for the top five political power players of the year.
A team of researchers has discovered a nursery of baby hammerhead sharks off an island in Ecuador's Galapagos archipelago, a finding that could help protect the species from the threat of extinction.
People visiting emergency rooms in Greater Victoria this year had to stay slightly longer than they did the year before, according to Island Health.
Earlier this month, on Dec. 5, the Washington state city of Port Townsend, located just south of Victoria across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, signed a proclamation declaring rights for southern resident killer whales.
While snow is expected across Vancouver Island starting this weekend, exact timing and snowfall totals are hard to nail down for the weekend and through the bulk of next week.
A lawsuit filed by the widower of a 40-year-old Hanna, Alta., woman claims medical records were "intentionally falsified" and that staff "did not use reasonable and proper skill or care" and "did not follow accepted medical practices in (her) diagnosis and treatment."
The season finale of Fox-TV's Leg Masters reality show featured a perfect (snow) storm of sorts, when all the finalists turned out to be Canadians.
Calgary police have identified the man killed in a shooting in the community of Douglasdale on Thursday.
A 51-year-old Edmonton woman is dead, and her husband has been charged with second-degree murder.
A diagnosed pedophile with a history of sex offences against children admitted Friday to abducting an Edmonton boy in 2021.
Matthew Oliver is Metis and a former competition shooter. He feels Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ban on certain firearms unfairly targets both of those groups.
Police are investigating after two people were found dead at a Hamilton residence Friday.
A former Catholic priest in Peel Region has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of an underage parishioner more than 40 years ago and police say there could still be additional victims who have not yet come forward.
A portion of Dundas Street in the city's west end that has been blocked following the discovery of a sinkhole last month could reopen as early as next week.
Two children in Montreal have died due to complications with Strep A infection as cases of the illness are on the rise, the city's public health department said Friday.
The mother of an 11-year-old autistic boy is incensed after she says her son was denied entry into a specialized psychiatric program at a hospital because her son attends English school.
The Quebec government has ordered five ski lifts at the popular Mont-Sainte-Anne resort to be shut down after a gondola fell down to the ground last weekend.
The Manitoba government is now part of an Indigenous-led oversight committee on the feasibility of searching landfills for missing women.
The Millennium Library will stay closed for the foreseeable future.
Winnipeg police are investigating after a cyclist was killed after being hit by a front-end loader on Thursday night.
More than 30 first nation chiefs from across the province gathered in Saskatoon Friday to denounce the recently introduced Saskatchewan First Act and threaten action beyond meetings and negotiations.
There was an unusual sight at the Saskatoon airport Thursday afternoon when an Alaska-bound plane had to make an emergency landing.
As Christmas Day is on the horizon, trees are starting to dwindle at stores in Saskatoon.
A well-known restaurant in the community of Forget, Sask. was destroyed by fire on Thursday night.
No ambulance was immediately available to respond to emergencies in Regina 206 times from May to October 2022 – including 71 in October alone.
Inside Prairie Lithium’s Emerald Park facility, the company is perfecting a method to process a mineral in extremely high demand amid a rising demand for batteries.
Environment Canada has issued a number of snowfall warnings and special weather statements for New Brunswick. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will also see a mix of snow and rain this weekend.
A student at Dalhousie University in Halifax has died after contracting meningococcal disease. Nova Scotia Public Health confirmed the death Friday, adding that another student is recovering in hospital.
Flu season is in full swing earlier than usual across Nova Scotia this year, and the province's chief medical officer of health is urging the public to exercise caution during the holidays.
A growing number of voices say London’s housing crisis has become an emergency.
A Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation was launched after a cargo jet left the runway at the London International Airport early Friday morning
In the past year, 62 members of the Saugeen First Nation have overdosed on drugs, predominantly opioids, according to Chief Conrad Ritchie.
Police in Sault Ste. Marie are looking for a 27-year-old murder suspect they describe as 'armed and dangerous.'
A family of five in Sudbury has been displaced by a residential fire that broke out early Friday morning.
Three men face thousands in fines after pleading guilty to illegal moose hunting in Kawartha Lakes.
Waterloo regional police have issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the 2015 murder of 23-year-old Gavin Daley.
Francesco Arcuri made his debut with the Kitchener Rangers Friday night and he also scored his first goal with his new team.
Kitchener’s Mindy Hurley has a unique Sunday ritual.
Tiletamine Hydrochloride © 2022 All rights reserved. Use of this Website assumes acceptance of Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy