20 times more powerful than fentanyl: Synthetic opioid parcels are seized

20 times more powerful than fentanyl: Synthetic opioid parcels are seized by the RCMP and CBSA

Packages of synthetic opioids that are "20 times more potent than fentanyl" are seized by the RCMP and CBSA.

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This image, which was made public by the RCMP and CBSA following the arrest of a Mississauga man, shows synthetic opioids along with other goods linked to criminal activity. After border officials seized shipments of synthetic opioids at two mail sorting facilities, a man from Mississauga, Ontario, is being charged with trafficking a substance that can be 20 times more powerful than fentanyl. Multiple shipments of synthetic opioids coming from China were intercepted by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials at international mail and cargo processing facilities in Mississauga and Vancouver, British Columbia, according to a news release issued on Friday. Together with other cargo meant for export abroad, the goods were being sent to a Mississauga location. The artificial opioids found were 'nitazenes,' which the CBSA and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) described as "up to 20 times more potent than fentanyl." "They are used to 'cut' street drugs in Canada, and their high potency can increase the risk of overdose, particularly when mixed with other substances," the release said. Over five kilograms of narcotics, drug paraphernalia, more than $120,000 in cash, and other proceeds of crime like luxury watches and precious metals were seized at the suspect's Mississauga home by the RCMP's Transnational Serious and Organized Crime Unit on Jan. 3. Matthew Phan, 36, of Mississauga, has been charged with several trafficking and possession offences and two counts of unlawful attempt to export a controlled substance. Phan has not received bail and remains in custody, according to the release. The seizure is part of an ongoing crackdown on drug smuggling amid heightened pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. "Nitazenes are a lethal substance that pose a significant risk to the safety of Canadians, and the CBSA is committed to securing Canada's border from drug threats like this one," Lisa Janes, GTA Regional Director General of the CBSA, said in the release. "The CBSA executed over 3,000 narcotic seizures in the Greater Toronto Area in 2024, keeping over 10,000 kg of drugs out of our communities." "This opioid seizure is yet another example of Canada's Border Plan in action and the effective partnership between the CBSA and the RCMP in stopping cross-border drug trafficking," added Minister of Public Safety David J. McG

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