B.C. public safety critic calls for provincial task force on fentanyl trafficking, transnational crime
Fentanyl is pictured in evidence bags during an RCMP news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, April 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
B.C.'s public safety critic is urging the NDP government to intensify its enforcement efforts regarding fentanyl trafficking and transnational crime.
Elenore Sturko, a member of the B.C. Conservatives, said the NDP continues to dismiss concerns raised by the United States, referring to them as 'trade war rhetoric.'
'The NDP have allowed B.C. to become a hub for foreign-backed drug traffickers entering the global market,' Sturko said. 'British Columbians urgently need decisive action and accountability.'
Sturko referenced comments made by FBI Director Kash Patel on the widely popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast last week, in which Patel stated that B.C. has become a central hub for the fentanyl trafficking trade.
Read more: Trump's FBI director discusses Vancouver, fentanyl in Joe Rogan interview
In response to Patel's remarks, B.C. Public Safety Minister Garry Begg issued a statement to CTV News, pointing to U.S. government statistics that show 'less than one per cent' of fentanyl seized at U.S. borders last year came from Canada.
'It's no surprise that Trump's appointee would use his position to continue the president's narrative to justify his tariffs,' Begg said. 'Their Drug Enforcement Agency's National Drug Threat Assessment report in 2023 and 2024 didn't even mention Canada.'
However, the 2025 report did highlight B.C., specifically referencing a major drug bust in Falkland.
Read more: Mounties in B.C. raid 'largest and most sophisticated' drug lab in Canadian history
Court documents from B.C.'s Civil Forfeiture Director also show links between Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and the owner of a Surrey home that was raided by authorities last year.
Read more: B.C. drug dealers linked to prominent Mexican cartel, lawsuit claims
While the NDP points to the ongoing trade war with the U.S., another B.C. politician argues that American concerns about Canada's lack of enforcement on drug trafficking and organized crime have been longstanding.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West shared with CTV News a letter from former U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, which was sent after a meeting between the two at a summit in Colorado in May 2023. West says Blinken expressed concerns shared by high-ranking U.S. officials about Canada—and B.C. specifically—being a hub for traffickers.
West also highlighted the U.S.'s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which has been used to successfully convict major figures in organized crime. Canada, however, lacks such a law.
'It is a fact that Canada has not been able to successfully criminally prosecute people involved in industrial-scale drug trafficking,' West said. 'If you're involved in a criminal activity on an international scale, and there's a jurisdiction with deficient laws and a track record of failure to prosecute those involved, you're going to say, 'That's the place to be.''
While the federal government has appointed a 'Fentanyl Czar,' Sturko says the NDP need to create a bipartisan provincial task force to address fentanyl trafficking, transnational crime, and drug production in B.C.
'We need a government that is first and foremost going to come out strong on these issues, acknowledging that they exist as dangerous to our province, and then coming up with a real plan,' she said.
In a statement to CTV News responding to Sturko's comments, Begg said:
'What MLA Sturko refers to as 'curated data' is data from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol about fentanyl seizures at the Canada/US border. The reality is, less than one per cent of fentanyl in the USA comes from here. That's a small fraction – but it doesn't mean we don't take it seriously.'
He continued, 'B.C. is a leader in Canada in cracking down on transnational criminals. We're the first province to implement unexplained wealth orders, and we've pushed Ottawa for a national anti-racketeering law. Police in B.C. are actively investigating and enforcing illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking in our province.'
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