CBSA seizes 60 shipments of methamphetamine headed to Australia

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it found and seized more than 60 shipments of methamphetamine headed to Australia over six months this summer.

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

The shipments allegedly contained 397 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and 1,278 liters of liquid methamphetamine. The CBSA said the attacks would total “approximately 8 million individual doses.”

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

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

“It impacts our communities, causes social harm and puts money in the hands of criminals. Organized crime knows no borders and affects us all,” said Coelho.

The CBSA said 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 trafficking threatens the safety and security of our communities. The seizures announced today are examples of how the CBSA is working with domestic and international partners to disrupt criminal networks and keep illegal drugs off our streets.” Dominic LeBlanc, Secretary 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 14.4kg of methamphetamine into the Asia-Pacific country.

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

On July 28, the 24-year-old woman was arrested to have her bags examined, the ABF shared in a press release on September 3. It states that officers allegedly found methamphetamine wrapped in towels “soaked in vinegar and covered in coffee. beans.”

“Testing of the packages yielded a presumptive positive result for methamphetamine,” the ABF said.

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