The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it has seized more than half a tonne of opium that was discovered hidden in a paper shipment.
The CBSA says its officers found the drugs while examining a marine container at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility.
The container was referred for examination on Jan. 14, 2026, based on information from the CBSA’s National Targeting Centre and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Upon arrival at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility, CBSA’s detector dog team was deployed and provided positive indication for contraband,” the agency said in a news release.
“This prompted border services officers to conduct an x-ray examination of the container.”
There were 20 industrial-sized rolls of paper in the container, the CBSA says, and an X-ray showed “internal inconsistencies” in nine of them.
“A subsequent progressive examination confirmed that opium had been concealed deep within 10 paper rolls,” it said.
Border services officers then seized more than 520 kg of opium, which is more than the amount of opioids seized by CBSA officers in B.C. throughout the entire year in 2025.
“In 2025, CBSA officers in British Columbia made 11,390 illegal narcotic seizures, including 329 kg of opioids,” it said.