Drugs hidden in statues among busts made at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga

In one of several major seizures of drugs and other illegal goods made last month at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, some $500,000 in meth was found hidden inside a shipment of statues, Canadian border officials say.

The large amount of methamphetamine was concealed inside a shipment that was to be on a flight from Toronto to New Zealand, the Canada Border Services Agency said on Monday.

Other notable busts made by border officers at Pearson Airport in February included the discovery of 30 kilograms of ketamine worth more than $2.1 million and the seizure of more than $10,000 in U.S. and Japanese currency, the agency said.

A large amount of methamphetamine was found by border officers concealed inside a shipment of statues that was to be on a flight from Toronto Pearson Airport to New Zealand.

Beyond Canada’s biggest and busiest airport, CBSA officers made a number of other significant seizures at points of entry between Ontario and the U.S. last month, including:

• a shotgun, two brass knuckles, a throwing star (Japanese weapon), two prohibited knives, 200 rounds of ammunition and cannabis gummies in Lansdowne, east of Kingston
• five prohibited handguns in the CBSA’s Southern Ontario region, which includes Niagara Falls, Windsor, Sarnia and London
• more than 30 grams of suspected heroin at the Peace Bridge, which connects Fort Erie and Buffalo
• one loaded prohibited firearm and six loaded over-capacity magazines at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor (connecting with Detroit)

Canada Border Services Agency officials say keeping illegal weapons and related items, drugs and other illegal goods out of Canada is “an enforcement priority.”

A shotgun, two brass knuckles, a throwing star (Japanese weapon), two prohibited knives, 200 rounds of ammunition and cannabis gummies were found by Canada Border Services Agency officers in Lansdowne, east of Kingston.

As it relates to guns, the border agency says “stopping prohibited firearms from coming into Canada is part of the CBSA’s commitment to protect our communities.”

Border officials added they work closely with the RCMP on all investigations involving dangerous and illegal goods.

“The RCMP and the CBSA work closely in an investigative capacity along with other domestic and international law enforcement partners to combat the impact that cross-border criminal activity is having on our communities,” they said in an earlier news release.

The CBSA says it screens goods, including international mail and courier items, coming into Canada and examines more closely “those that may pose a threat to the safety of Canadians.”

More than $10,000 in U.S. and Japanese currency was confiscated by border officers at Toronto Pearson Airport in a February bust.

A loaded prohibited firearm and six loaded over-capacity magazines were seized at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. (All photos: Canada Border Services Agency)