CBSA seizes 26 kgs of cocaine aboard ship entering Vancouver

The drugs were found packed into 23 bricks that were hidden inside the ceiling of a shipping container that originated from Colombia, according to the statement. (Handout)

The Canada Border Services Agency says its investigators found and seized more than 26 kilograms of cocaine aboard a Vancouver-bound container ship.

The seizure occurred at the CBSA’s Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility on Oct. 31, but was only announced in a statement from the agency Monday.

The drugs were found packed into 23 bricks that were hidden inside the ceiling of a shipping container that originated from Colombia, according to the statement.

The container was declared to be carrying boxes of frozen fruit when the illicit cargo was discovered with the assistance of drug-detecting dogs.

The contraband was transferred to the RCMP for further investigation.

The CBSA says its officers in B.C. intercepted a total of 727 kilograms of cocaine in the first 10 months of 2025.

In September, the agency seized approximately 205 kilograms of cocaine aboard a cargo ship arriving in Vancouver from Panama. The discovery was made on the same day that CBSA officials at the Vancouver airport intercepted 560 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine destined for export to Australia.

“Drug cartels are constantly testing our borders and our ability to protect them,” Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement Monday.

“The people who work at CBSA are our first line of defence against these criminals and the drugs they want to bring into Canada. This seizure shows just how hard CBSA works to keep our borders secure and our communities safe.”

CBSA Pacific region director Nina Patel says the most recent seizure is a “direct result of the vigilance and dedication” of the agency’s officers and its partnership with the RCMP.