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The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says his agency is “keeping our eye on Canada” as it combats the flow of fentanyl into the United States, and plans to open two new offices north of the border to reflect that increased focus.
But the DEA is refusing to share any details about those offices, which DEA Administrator Terrance Cole told a U.S. Senate appropriations committee hearing Tuesday are “projected” to open next year.
Asked during the hearing about the evolving drug threat from abroad, Cole said officials are “very conscious” of the shipment of precursor chemicals from overseas through the Port of Vancouver, and then to fentanyl manufacturing facilities in Canada.
He said sustained pressure on China to stop those precursor shipments and the crackdown on Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel in particular have been effective, but added “we need to make sure we keep an eye on our northern border as well” as a result.
“We see more precursors coming into the Port of Vancouver, coming into Canada, and the Canadians with the Mexican cartels in-country have started producing and manufacturing fentanyl in Canada,” Cole said.
Those drugs are then trafficked into the U.S., something that Cole — who was appearing alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and the heads of the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — said “everybody at this table is worried about.”
He added there have been “significant seizures” of fentanyl in Canada, while Patel said production facilities were being dismantled in collaboration between FBI, DEA and Canadian authorities.
“We’ve had some success there working with our Canadian partners, because the drug traffickers got smart with the securitization of the southern border and moved it up there,” Patel said.
Later in the hearing, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska noted that Vancouver “isn’t too far” from her state and suggested traffickers were moving fentanyl through Canada into Alaska.
Cole said the DEA has been working with the U.S. Postal Service to intercept fentanyl and other drugs being sent to Alaska through the mail, with seizures reported as recently as last month.
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“From a DEA perspective, we’re keeping our eye on Canada,” he said. “We’re going to open two more offices in Canada, proposed for ’27.”
A DEA spokesperson said the agency does “not have anything to report at this time” when asked for additional details by Global News, including where those offices may be located.
The DEA currently operates two offices in Canada: one at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, and the other at the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver.
“DEA’s role in Canada is to coordinate international drug-trafficking investigations between the United States and Canadian law enforcement,” the agency says on its website.
“Both DEA offices in Canada work with Canadians on a full complement of cases while ensuring that our activities are in keeping with Canadian laws and existing agreements.”
Global News has asked Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office and the ministry for comment on the potential new DEA offices.
A spokesperson for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority did not say if the DEA was seeking to establish a permanent presence at any regional ports, but said it works with RCMP, local police and the Canada Border Services Agency to combat illicit trade.
“While we do not operate any of the container terminals at the port, we routinely coordinate security efforts with multiple law enforcement and regulatory agencies whose mandates include jurisdictions inclusive of the Port of Vancouver,” Arpen Rana told Global News in an emailed statement.
The CBSA told Global News it regularly works alongside and shares information with the DEA and other U.S. agencies to stop the flow of drugs and firearms in North America.
Cole’s warning isn’t new.
Last year, the DEA’s annual national drug threat assessment said Canadian “super laboratories” producing fentanyl present “a growing concern for the United States.”
Although the report noted the amount of fentanyl seized at the Canada-U.S. border paled in comparison to seizures at the southern U.S. border, it warned that the Canadian operations “have the potential to expand and fill any supply void created by disruptions to Mexico-sourced fentanyl production and trafficking.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows 2.7 kg of fentanyl were seized at the northern U.S. border in the first six months of the current fiscal year, compared to 35 kg throughout the previous 12 months.
By contrast, 2,630 kg of fentanyl have been seized at the southern U.S. border so far this year, and 5,216 kg in the 2025 fiscal year.
“Canada is not a significant source of fentanyl, be it for the U.S. or abroad,” CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer told Global News.
“Nonetheless, Canada’s border is strong and we are making it stronger.”
The federal government announced a $1.3 billion border security plan in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s initial tariff threats over the flow of fentanyl in December 2024. The plan included enhanced screening at ports of entry and surveillance capabilities.
Ottawa has also committed to hiring 1,000 new CBSA officers, but few details have been shared on the progress toward that goal.
Bill C-12, the immigration and border security bill that received royal assent in March, includes additional measures to crack down on precursor chemicals. Canada has also listed Mexican cartels, including Sinaloa, as terrorist entities in line with the U.S.
“These measures, combined with the strategic allocation of CBSA resources to respond to the threats and responsibilities at ports of entry, are making a real difference,” Reimer said.
The RCMP has been working to shut down synthetic drug labs across Canada, the most recent of which was announced in December in British Columbia.
A nationwide multi-agency initiative dubbed Operation Fentanyl Sprint 2.0 led to over 8,000 arrests and the seizure of 386 kg of fentanyl between May and October of last year, according to the RCMP.
Global News has reached out to the RCMP for comment.
Last year, after meeting with Chinese officials, Patel announced Beijing had agreed to tighten controls around chemical precursors and stop their export. Trump has said Chinese President Xi Jinping has made similar commitments to him.
The Trump administration has made stopping fentanyl a top priority, with Trump listing the drug as a weapon of mass destruction in December.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says over 72,700 Americans died from fentanyl and other synthetic opioid overdoses in 2023, down from 73,800 the year before.
More than 55,000 Canadians have died from an opioid-related overdose since 2016, according to Health Canada, with a majority involving fentanyl.
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