DEA concerned about Canadian fentanyl superlabs
The DEA said it is "concerned" about Canadian fentanyl "super labs" that could replace shipments to the U.S. not from Mexico .
This Thursday, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its 2025 " National Threat Assessment " in which, in addition to accusing Mexican cartels of being a "serious threat" to the health of Americans and the "rule of law" - as US authorities have accused on more than one occasion - it also denounced that there are "sophisticated" laboratories in Canada for the manufacture of synthetic opioids.
"The elevated production of synthetic drugs in Canada, particularly sophisticated fentanyl 'superlabs' such as those seized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in October 2024, represents a growing concern for the United States," reads the document dedicated to Enrique "Kikรญ" Camarena .
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And while he acknowledges that Canadian fentanyl entering the US is "substantially less" than what enters from Mexico, he emphasizes that "these operations have the potential to expand and fill any supply gaps created by disruptions in the production and trafficking of Mexican-origin fentanyl."
The DEA's text does not specify the number and/or location of these "super labs" that could compete with Mexican production.
According to the DEA, 22.7 kilograms of Canadian fetanyl have been seized as of spring of this year, while 9,354 tons of the drug were seized on the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024.
Canada's first fentanyl "super lab" discovered before Trump's victoryIn October 2024 , the Government of Canada located and dismantled a "super lab" in British Columbia that produced, among other drugs, fentanyl.
โ RCMP federal investigators conducted a series of coordinated enforcement actions in Metro Vancouver and executed search warrants at a massive drug superlab in Falkland, British Columbia (BC), and associated locations in Surrey, BC,โ the statement said.
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In the operation, led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , 54 kilos of fentanyl, massive quantities of precursors, 390 kilos of methamphetamine, 35 kilos of cocaine, and 6 kilos of marijuana were seized.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ #NDTA2025
Learn more: https://t.co/IYxNtdtmg5 pic.twitter.com/elUcjTpkBB
โ DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) May 15, 2025
At the time, RCMP David Teboul said, "The precursor chemicals, combined with the finished fentanyl products seized at this location, could have amounted to 95 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, the entry of which into Canadian communities and abroad has been prevented."
Reporter for the Mexico section of the newspaper 24 HORAS. With 10 years of experience, covering human rights, politics, and investigations.
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