CBSA seizes nearly 200 kg of opium from 2 shipping containers bound for Metro Vancouver

Nearly 200 kilograms of opium were recently seized from shipping containers bound for Metro Vancouver, the Canada Border Services Agency confirms.

In a statement Thursday, the CBSA detailed two seizures at container examination facilities over a two-week period –one in Burnaby on Aug. 15 and another in Tsawwassen on Aug. 28.

The first seizure involved a shipment that was flagged for examination by the National Targeting Centre, a CBSA unit responsible for pre-arrival risk assessments, according to the release.

As a result, CBSA officers uncovered 150 kilograms of opium concealed in a piece of steel machinery.

Later that month, a Detector Dog Service Team helped border service officers in Tsawwassen uncover another 46 kilograms of opium hidden in a piece of furniture stored in another container.

The CBSA says B.C. RCMP have been notified of the seizures and are investigating.

“Both seizures demonstrate the diligence and detection capabilities of our border services officers and the important role of our intelligence operations in keeping these harmful drugs out of our communities,” wrote Nina Patel, director general of CBSA’s Pacific region, in the statement.