Fentanyl “super labs” are popping up across British Columbia as organized crime groups seek to take advantage of the opioid crisis, warns the RCMP.
Historically Canada has been overlooked when it comes to the production and trafficking of fentanyl but with U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand for the Canadian government to clamp down on the deadly drug, the issue is receiving more attention.
Although China and Mexico remain the primary sources of fentanyl and the synthetic opioid’s precursors, criminal organizations in Canada are shifting towards producing the drug domestically and even exporting the substance.
RCMP Cpl. Arash Seyed called attention to the issue at a recent press conference.
“We have the world’s most sophisticated drug super labs,” said Seyed.
“They’re expanding. They’re increasing in size and sophistication. And that’s something that obviously concerning for our neighbours.”
In recent months, U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening Canada with severe tariffs, justifying the trade policy by pointing to fentanyl inflows to the United States coming from Canada.
Trump’s order to increase tariffs on Canada specifically named British Columbia as a home of fentanyl super labs that are shipping deadly drugs over the American border.
However, border officials in 2024 seized approximately 50 lbs of fentanyl coming into the United States from Canada, whereas border officials seized approximately 20,610 lbs of fentanyl coming in from Mexico. The quantity of fentanyl that has been able to pass through the Canada-U.S. border undetected is unknown.
Seyed reiterated this fact, claiming that much of the fentanyl that is produced in Canada and explored to other countries does not end up in the United States.
“It just doesn’t make sense for organized crime to make it here,” said Seyed of fentanyl for American consumers.
Seyed said that because the price of fentanyl in the United States is comparatively low, it makes more sense for Canadian fentanyl producers to sell to fellow Canadians and markets like Australia, New Zealand and Europe
Seyed particularly highlighted Europe as an emerging market for fentanyl with European officials expressing concern over increased fentanyl use on their continent
“We’ve had delegations from different countries, mostly EU nations, coming here regularly, because it’s starting to manifest over there,” said Seyed.
Many of the Canadian drug super labs, not only produce fentanyl, but also produce drugs like methamphetamine and MDMA which are more likely to end up in the hands of American consumers than fentanyl is
“Meth and fentanyl go hand in hand,” said Seyed.
“Our organized crime groups use MDMA as currency with cartel groups, with lots of organized crime groups in the States.”
Seyed also pointed to southeast Asia as a market in which Canadian fentanyl has been found.
In December, the Trudeau government announced they would be contributing $1.3 billion to securing the Canada-U.S. border, sending helicopters, increasing personnel, and new technologies to snuff out drugs being smuggled across the border.
Trudeau presented this plan, along with a commitment to appoint a “fentanyl czar” and add cartels to Canada’s recognized terrorist list to delay the introduction of American tariffs against Canada for 30 days.