VANCOUVER -- Hundreds of shipments of counterfeit and unauthorized goods related to COVID-19 have been seized at B.C. border crossings in recent months, officials say.
In a news release Thursday, the federal government said the Canada Border Services Agency seizures were the result of an initiative launched in late March to combat counterfeit products entering Canada through B.C.
Between March 20 and June 30, more than 380 shipments of these products were detained, the news release said.
A whopping 48,000 COVID-19 test kits were seized, CBSA said.
The agency says another 4.5 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) were detained at the border, as well as 33,000 prescription tablets and pills.
And more than 1,500 "other intercepts of fraudulent and potentially dangerous products" were uncovered during that time period, according to border officials.
Some goods were seized, while others were passed along to Health Canada, CBSA says.
Any companies found to be selling unauthorized health products online or in stores in Canada are subject to enforcement action from Health Canada.
During its investigation, CBSA officials found some importers didn't know the permits and licences required for shipment to Canada, while others, it is alleged, were trying to take advantage of the circumstances created by the pandemic.
