More than 3.3 tonnes of illicit substances were found at Toronto Pearson International Airport over a two-month period this summer, border officials say.
In a news release issued Thursday, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) said the substances—identified as PMK ethyl glycidate and 1,4-butanediol—were found in multiple separate shipments arriving from Asia.
They were intercepted by border services officers between June and July of this year.
CBSA says these substances can be used to manufacture MDMA, also known as ecstasy, as well as other psychoactive drugs often used to commit physical and sexual assaults.
The drugs “act on the central nervous system and can cause changes in mood, awareness, and behavior,” officials said in the release, noting the interception may have prevented millions of doses of MDMA and other drugs from reaching Canadian communities.
Between 2021 and 2022, the CBSA made just over 52,300 seizures at border crossings entering the country.
