Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers in Saint John, New Brunswick (NB) recently intercepted a shipment of suspected cannabis that is the largest cannabis seizure on record since 2015.
On May 21, 2025, border services officers at the Port of Saint John, with assistance from CBSA intelligence officers in the Greater Toronto Area and Atlantic Regions, examined a marine container destined for export to Scotland, United Kingdom.
During this examination, officers uncovered over 6,700 kilograms of suspected cannabis, valued at $49.6 million. The drugs were falsely declared on the documentation provided to the CBSA and were concealed in nearly 400 boxes inside the container.
The quantity seized in this single shipment is three times more than the total amount of cannabis seized by the CBSA across Canada in the previous year.
The cannabis and all evidence were transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Eastern Region Federal Policing (New Brunswick) for further investigation.
The CBSA and the RCMP are securing our borders by collaborating on investigations to prevent illegal drug smuggling and organized crime from threatening the safety and well-being of our communities.
Although cannabis is legal in Canada, cannabis smuggling supports organized crime and helps fund other illegal activities, such as narcotics and weapons smuggling. It is often used as an exchange for other illegal drugs being imported into Canada such as cocaine. The trade of contraband cannabis is a major threat to the safety and health of Canadians. It is a serious criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment of up to 5 years under the Customs Act and up to 14 years under the Cannabis Act.
