Protecting and supporting Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic

CBSA 2020 operational and enforcement highlights

December 10, 2020
Ottawa, Ontario 

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) today released operational and enforcement highlights that demonstrate how the CBSA has safeguarded our health, security and economy during these unprecedented times.

The Agency has worked closely with its federal, provincial and territorial partners to implement and enforce public health directives, to keep commerce and trade moving and our communities safe.

Despite new and complex challenges posed by the pandemic, CBSA officers continued to fulfill the Agency’s mandate, stopping a substantial amount of drugs, firearms and other contraband from entering our communities.

The 2020 enforcement and operational highlights cover January 1 to October 31, 2020.

National Highlights

Regional Highlights

CBSA Regional operations have had a number of enforcement successes and other achievements throughout the year as they remained focused on our mandate and managing through the COVID pandemic.

Atlantic Region 

Over $3.8 million worth of stolen vehicles intercepted
CBSA officers have been busy intercepting stolen vehicles destined for overseas. So far this year, 85 stolen vehicles valued at $3,825,000 were seized in the Atlantic Region. Vehicle types include pick-up trucks, cars, SUVs and various luxury vehicles. Our officers work with the Insurance Bureau of Canada and local law enforcement to identify, intercept and investigate these cases.

Quebec Region

Project Butane shuts down tobacco smuggling operation
On September 25, charges were laid against 13 individuals tied to a criminal organization at the Longueuil (QUE) courthouse following a major contraband tobacco investigation called Project Butane. According to the evidence collected by the CBSA during the investigation, this organization imported 88 loads of bulk tobacco to Canada between September 2, 2017, and May 27, 2019. The fraud strategies of this organization allegedly led to an estimated $450 million in lost tobacco duties and taxes.

Teamwork keeps $30 million of opium off the streets
On February 17, CBSA officers at the Port of Montreal (QUE) seized 507 kg of suspected opium found in a marine container arriving from Pakistan. The drugs, valued at approximately $30.4 million, were found thanks to astute information sharing and targeting methods.

Northern Ontario Region 

Employees help repatriation efforts
In our role to assist with the repatriation of Canadians from some of the first COVID-19 quarantined zones, officers, superintendents, and chiefs from the CBSA’s Northern Ontario Region volunteered to deploy to Canadian Forces Base Trenton (ON). In total, close to 600 passengers and crew from four flights originating from Wuhan, China’s Hubei province, and Japan landed and were processed at the air force base.

Greater Toronto Region 

Southern Ontario Region 

Tobacco seizures are way up in 2020
From January 1 to October 31, 2020, the total amount of tobacco seized in the Southern Ontario Region (SOR) increased by 313% compared to the same period in 2019 (92,956 kg in 2019 compared to 383,497 kg in 2020) equating to a total value of $68.1 million. Officers at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor (ON) alone seized 282,161 kg of tobacco products accounting for 74% of the region’s total tobacco seizures in 2020.

Value of narcotics seized doubles
The value of narcotics seized in the SOR increased by 98% to $64 million in 2020 with a combined weight of 589 kg compared to the same period in 2019. That includes a record amount of 255 kg of cocaine with a value of $31.9 million seized at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia (ON) on September 8, 2020 and 117.7 kg of cocaine worth $14 million was seized at the Queenston Bridge in Niagara Falls (ON) on August 18.

Prairie Region 

One person charged for immigration scam
After dismantling a fraudulent immigration scheme in Saskatchewan, the CBSA announced charges against Gurpreet Singh on January 21 for his alleged involvement in exploiting work permit exemptions afforded to certain temporary foreign workers. The CBSA alleges that Singh, 34, impersonated registered charities by falsifying job offer letters and then selling them, for profit, to individuals seeking to gain entry to or remain in Canada.

Fake bus pass find leads to charges for Edmonton man
On June 26, CBSA officers at Edmonton International Airport intercepted more than 1,000 fraudulent bus passes, worth more than $100,000 total, which resulted in further investigation of the importer. On October 7, the regional Criminal Investigations Section and the Edmonton Police Service jointly announced charges against Yuexuan Wu of Edmonton, Alberta. 

Pacific Region

Officers from NTC and Tsawwassen Container Facility team up to take over 100 kg of methamphetamine off Canadian streets
On February 4, 2020, after receiving information from the CBSA National Targeting Centre (NTC), CBSA officers at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility (Tsawwassen, BC) examined a container from Mexico using a wide range of detection tools and technology. During the examination, bags of white crystal were discovered and the CBSA laboratory confirmed the results were positive for methamphetamine. The CBSA estimates the value of 106 kilograms of methamphetamine to be approximately $13.5 million.