CBSA seizes 200 kg of cocaine from ship in Vancouver

The bricks were hidden inside containers of red liquid that was declared as paint pigment, the CBSA said. (Handout)

The Canada Border Services Agency says it has seized more than 200 kilograms of cocaine that was found concealed aboard a ship in Vancouver.

Agents discovered the illicit cargo on a ship arriving from Panama on Sept. 3, the CBSA announced in a news release Wednesday.

The cocaine was packaged into 78 bricks weighing a total of 204.5 kilograms, the agency said.

The bricks, which were discovered with the assistance of drug-detecting dogs, were hidden inside containers of red liquid believed to be paint pigment, the CBSA said.

“This seizure demonstrates the critical role our border officers play in the fight against organized crime,” said CBSA Pacific region director Nina Patel in a statement accompanying the news release.

“Their expertise and the strength of our partnership with the RCMP is crucial in preventing illegal drugs from reaching our communities,” Patel added.

The seized cocaine was turned over to the RCMP and the investigation into the smuggling is ongoing.

In a statement, Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree said the seizure “demonstrates the lengths criminals will go to try to sell illegal drugs in our country.”

The shipment of drugs was found on the same day that the CBSA made one of the largest ever seizures of drugs destined for export from the region.

Border agents intercepted a total of 560 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Vancouver’s airport on Sept. 3.

The drugs were found in a shipment of car parts destined for Australia, the agency said in an earlier statement.

The statement said officers discovered 300 compressed bricks containing 319 kilograms of cocaine and 110 vacuum sealed packages containing 241 kilograms of methamphetamine inside the cargo.

Patel said the seizure represented millions of dollars kept out of the hands of organized crime.