Question Period Note: Operation Blizzard

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) concluded the targeted blitz named Operation Blizzard to intercept contraband in all transportation modes.

• Launched as part of Canada’s Border Plan, Operation Blizzard was a month-long, cross-country surge operation to intercept fentanyl and other illegal drugs at the border.

• In total, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) executed over 2,600 seizures of narcotics and precursors across the country.

• 67.5% of all seizures made were of illegal narcotics coming to Canada from the United States, while 17.5% were of narcotics going to the United States.

• 1.44 kg of fentanyl was intercepted while on route to the United States. The CBSA will continue to disrupt the supply chain for fentanyl and other illicit drugs as part of Canada’s efforts to strengthen border security and combat organized crime.

Information to support statements made in the Key Messages
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plays an important role in keeping fentanyl, its precursors and other dangerous drugs off our streets.
Launched as part of Canada’s Border Plan, Operation Blizzard was a month-long (February 12th to March 13th), cross-country surge operation to intercept fentanyl and other illegal drugs in postal, air cargo and marine containers.
During the operation, border services officers examined shipments, with a special focus on mail, air freight and sea containers going to the United States. They acted on increased referrals from CBSA’s National Targeting Centre based on risk assessments. In total, the CBSA executed over 2,600 seizures of suspected narcotics and precursors across the country. 67.5% of all seizures made were of illegal narcotics coming to Canada from the United States, while 17.5% were of narcotics going to the United States. These included:
• 116 fentanyl seizures (1.73 kg), intercepted in British Columbia, Québec and Alberta. Of these seizures, 1.44 kg were on route to the United States (U.S.) and 0.26 kg were destined to other countries
• 17 meth seizures (5.38 kg and 89 pills)
• 24 cocaine seizures (13 kg)
• 26 heroin seizures (0.19 kg)
• 17 opium seizures (38.84 kg and 11 bottles)
• 48 MDMA seizures (2.32 kg and 82 pills)
• 249 cannabis and cannabis related product seizures

By comparison, according to publicly available U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics, the CBP has seized 250kg of fentanyl so far in 2025. Of this total less than 0.01% is identified as coming from their Northern Border.
As part of the Border Plan, the CBSA deployed new imaging and chemical detection tools at high-risk ports of entry and train and deploy new canine teams to intercept illegal drugs. The CBSA activated the Special Investigation and Examination for Greater Enforcement (SIEGE) capacity, which is a part of the $1.3B border plan. This enabled front-line Border Services Officers (BSOs) to conduct targeted blitzes, focusing on fentanyl and its chemical precursors with a primary focus and nexus to the United States.
The CBSA has already seized 25,589 kg of drugs since the beginning of 2025 (from January 1 to April 29, 2025). Of this total, 2,145 g were fentanyl seizures.
In 2024, the CBSA seized 4.9 kilograms of fentanyl. 4.1 kg was intercepted outbound before it could be smuggled towards the Netherlands.

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