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DEA Administrator Reports Fentanyl Precursors Entering Canada via Vancouver Port, Notes Recent Seizures
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole told a Senate committee that Mexican cartels are producing fentanyl on Canadian soil with chemicals entering through the Port of Vancouver. U.S. seizures along the northern border remain far lower than those at the southern border. Canadian officials rejected the notion that the country is a significant fentanyl source.
May 13, 4:00 AM·2m read1 source
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DEA Administrator Terrance Cole stated that chemicals used to make fentanyl are streaming into the Port of Vancouver on their way to drug labs run by Mexican cartels on Canadian soil. U.S. law enforcement officials are very conscious of fentanyl being manufactured in Canada for export across the border.
He added that there have been significant seizures of fentanyl in Canada over the past two months. U.S. Senate appropriations committee hearing into the annual budget requests by the DEA, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.
In response to a question from Republican Sen. Deb Fischer about changes in the drug trade, Cole spoke about fentanyl trafficking from Mexico then pivoted to Canada. "We need to make sure that we keep an eye on the northern border as well.
We see more precursors coming into the Port of Vancouver, coming into Canada," Cole said. Canadian traffickers then ship the precursors to locations around the country for manufacturing and have started producing fentanyl in Canada with the Mexican cartels, he added. "And then it comes across our northern border.
U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. From a DEA perspective the agency is keeping its eye on Canada, Cole told the Senate committee.
U.S. Consulate in Vancouver. Cole said the agency intends to open two more offices in Canada in 2027. U.S. officials seized 77 pounds (35 kilograms) of fentanyl in 2025 along the northern border.
