Police struggle to stem flow of fentanyl

VANCOUVER (CP) — Illicit drugs have always been a problem in port cities, but experts say the emergence of highly potent synthetic opioids that are fuelling British Columbia’s overdose crisis are slipping through borders in new ways, presenting challenges for law enforcement.

International regulations, online ordering and the potency of the drug are among the factors making it difficult to prevent the drug from slipping through Canada’s borders.

More than 1,000 people have died from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. since January 2016, many as a result of the powerful opioids fentanyl and carfentanil, which law enforcement says largely comes from China.

Canada Border Services Agency says seizures of fentanyl at Vancouver International Mail Centre have more than doubled to 54 last year from 23 in 2015.

But RCMP national drug program co-ordinator Sgt. Luc Chicoine said while lives are saved with every seizure, there’s no knowing how much of a dent every confiscation of drugs makes.

“For example, if we seize 100 kilos of a certain drug that’s coming into the country, was it only 100 kilos coming in or was it a million kilos?” he said. “We don’t have the capability of identifying what is the full scope.”

The high potency of fentanyl has allowed traffickers to transport smaller quantities with other imports, making it harder for agencies to detect.

Chicoine said the combination of high potency and today’s technology means users or dealers can now order illicit substances from China online and have it delivered straight to their door, making it harder for police to intercept.