Border agents in B.C. seize cocaine from truck carrying U.S. alcohol

The cocaine was found hidden inside the trailer of the truck, which was carrying alcoholic beverages on a return trip to Canada from California, on Feb. 5, 2026.

The Canada Border Services Agency says its agents seized an 80-kilogram shipment of cocaine last month from a commercial truck entering rural British Columbia from Idaho.

The agency says officers were screening the truck at the remote port of entry near Kingsgate, B.C., when the illicit cargo was discovered by detector dogs.

The cocaine was found hidden inside the trailer of the truck, which was carrying alcoholic beverages on a return trip to Canada from California, on Feb. 5.

The truck driver was arrested and transferred to the custody of the federal RCMP as the investigation is ongoing, the CBSA said in a statement Thursday.

According to agency statistics, border guards in the Pacific region made 11,390 drug seizures last year, including an estimated 728 kilograms of cocaine.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree applauded the work of the CBSA in a statement Thursday, calling it the “first line of defence” against criminal smugglers.

CBSA detector dogs were involved in more than 34,000 seizures of guns, drugs and currency in 2025, according to the agency.

Nina Patel, the Pacific regional director of the CBSA, said the seizure was “a great example of the expertise” of the agency.

“In collaboration with our RCMP law enforcement partners, we remain vigilant in securing our borders and disrupting crime,” Patel said.