Prosecutions and Seizures

Pacific Region

CBSA seizes nearly 9.5 kg of suspected heroin at Vancouver Air Cargo Operations

Vancouver, British Columbia, March 11, 2013 – The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that officers of the Air Cargo Operations at Vancouver International Airport (VIA) have made 31 drug seizures during January and February 2013.

The largest of the 31 seizures were of suspected heroin. Officers working at Air Cargo have seized a total of nearly 9.5 kg of suspected heroin on three separate occasions during February. On February 1st, over 4 kg of the drug was found inside coffee whitener tubs. Later in the month, 5.1 kg was discovered on two separate occasions concealed in cardboard, in a shipment that had been declared as posters.

Over the course of two months, officers have also located opium within a hollowed book; ketamine declared as an industrial chemical, GBL declared as a multipurpose cleaning solution and numerous steroid seizures.

"The CBSA plays a vital role in preventing the entry of illegal and dangerous substances into Canada, and we are committed to protecting the safety and security of Canadians and our communities," said Marilyn Murray, Chief of Operations at VIA Air Cargo. "The officers working at Air Cargo Operations serve an import role in this protection mandate."

Throughout Pacific Region in 2012, CBSA officers made nearly 4,300 drug seizures, keeping drugs off Canadian streets.

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For media information

Maria Ivancic
Communications Advisor, Pacific Region
604-666-3434

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