560 kg of cocaine, methamphetamine found in car parts at Vancouver’s airport

Planes wait for for departure at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, May 19, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A shipment of car parts destined for Australia set off alarm bells for agents at Canada Border Services at Vancouver’s airport.

The agency says its officers intercepted a total of 560 kilograms of illicit drugs on Sept. 3.

It says in a statement released Monday that its officers found 300 compressed powder bricks of cocaine and 110 vacuum sealed packages of methamphetamine.

The CBSA says the discovery is one of the largest seizures destined for export at Vancouver International Airport.

Nina Patel, the regional director general for the agency, says the seizure represents millions of dollars kept out of the hands of criminals.

The agency says the drugs were turned over to the RCMP and the investigation into the smuggling is ongoing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2025.