Half a tonne of opium found concealed in industrial paper rolls, CBSA says

CBSA officers seized more than 500 kilograms of opium that was concealed inside lard industrial paper rolls in a shipping container in B.C. (CBSA)

For the second day in a row, border agents have announced a major seizure of opium in B.C.

The latest announcement involved more than half a tonne of the drug concealed inside industrial-sized rolls of paper inspected at the Canada Border Services Agency’s Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility in Delta.

The discovery occurred in January of this year, but the CBSA made it public in a statement Tuesday.

According to the agency, a marine container was referred to the Tsawwassen facility for examination on Jan. 14, based on information from the CBSA’s National Targeting Centre and its Pacific Regional Intelligence Section, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The container held “20 industrial-sized rolls of paper,” the CBSA said, adding that an X-ray examination showed “internal inconsistencies” in nine of the rolls.

“A subsequent progressive examination confirmed that opium had been concealed deep within 10 paper rolls,” the CBSA statement reads.

“Border services officers seized a total of 520.6 kilograms of opium.”

The agency did not specify where the shipment originated. CTV News has asked for more information and this story will be updated if a response is received.

Tuesday’s announcement follows an unrelated opium seizure reported by the CBSA on Monday.

That one involved the execution of a search warrant in Surrey and resulted in the deportation of two foreign nationals, with trafficking charges laid against a third.

• READ MORE: Drug bust in Surrey, B.C., leads to charges, deportations of foreign nationals

The CBSA said its January seizure “highlights the strength of continued collaboration between Canadian and U.S. agencies.”

“This seizure of more than half a tonne of opium is the result of strong collaboration and ongoing intelligence sharing between CBSA and U.S. partners,” said federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, in the statement.

“The CBSA is preventing opioid harm in our communities and is disrupting organized crime networks. I want to commend everyone involved in this significant operation.”

CBSA Pacific Region director general Nina Patel added her praise for the “skill, dedication and vigilance” of the agency’s officers.

“Every kilogram of opium we intercept at the border is a kilogram that will not devastate a family or community,” Patel said.

According to the CBSA, border officers made 11,390 seizures of illegal narcotics in 2025, a total that included the seizures of 329 kilograms of opioids.