The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced today that officers at the Prince Rupert Container Examination Facility seized over 14 tonnes of precursor chemicals.
This represents the largest precursor chemical seizure on record for the CBSA in Prince Rupert. In early September, CBSA officers examined a shipment originating from China, and declared as glycerin. Upon further examination of the 552 jugs, CBSA officers found them to contain four precursor chemicals used to make drugs like methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstacy), and gamma-butyrolactone (date-rape drug).
“This shipment illustrates that large quantities of chemicals, for use in the illicit narcotics industry, continue to be a threat to Canada and the CBSA,” said Dan Bubas, Chief of Operations for the CBSA in Prince Rupert.
“This seizure has prevented the potential manufacture of thousands of kilograms of illegal drugs.”
This is the third precursor chemical interception at Prince Rupert Port in the last two years. There have been no arrests associated with this seizure at this time, but the matter remains under investigation.
In 2003 Canada implemented the new Precursor Control Regulations to respond directly to the increasing diversion of precursor chemicals to the clandestine manufacturing of illicit substances. The regulatory framework addresses the cross-border trafficking of precursor chemicals by requiring a license and a permit for all imports and exports of Class A precursor chemicals.
The CBSA takes its border protection responsibilities very seriously, including the interdiction of controlled substances and precursor chemicals that can be used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs.