American authorities are increasingly suspicious of Canadian criminal groups' intentions regarding the production and distribution of fentanyl, says a lengthy report by Washington Post Published Sunday.
In recent months, Canadian police forces have carried out several large seizures by dismantling clandestine laboratories, including the seizure of 2.5 million doses of fentanyl near Vancouver in October and more than 25 kg of fentanyl and 3.5 tonnes of chemicals in Toronto in October August.
The proliferation of these fentanyl labs on Canadian soil could undermine Ottawa and Washington's efforts to combat drugs at the heart of the opioid crisis, which kills 7,000 people north of the border and 70,000 south of the border each year.
American authorities are currently focusing on the border with Mexico to combat drug imports, but several elements suggest that Canadian laboratories could also supply the American market.
“It's hard to believe it's not happening. […] Most police chiefs I have spoken to believe that our production [de fentanyl] “Domestic demand is exceeding,” Vancouver Police Organized Crime Unit Commander Philip Heard told the daily.
As of September 30, U.S. customs officials had seized 27,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, compared to just two pounds at the border with Canada.
“We do not see any flow of fentanyl from Canada into the United States,” assured a Department of Homeland Security investigator, Robert Hammer, but acknowledged that things could change.
For his part, the head of investigations at the Canada Border Services Agency, Daniel Anson, admitted in an interview with The Washington Post that he believes Canada is becoming an exporter of fentanyl.
The dangerous drug, 100 times more powerful than morphine, comes mainly from China. Due to export restrictions, Chinese companies are now shipping overseas chemical compounds used to make fentanyl, which is then manufactured by criminal groups in secret laboratories.