DEA threat assessment points to fentanyl 'super laboratories' in Canada

DEA points to super labs

Photo: The Canadian Press

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

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration's latest threat assessment says fentanyl "super laboratories" in Canada are a growing source of concern.

U.S. President Donald Trump has used cross-border traffic in the deadly drug to justify hitting imports of Canadian goods with tariffs.

The annual report says that while the estimated volume of fentanyl coming from Canada is substantially lower than the amount entering the U.S. from Mexico, "these operations have the potential to expand."

The DEA pointed out that the RCMP dismantled a sophisticated drug lab in British Columbia last October.

Canada was not mentioned once in the 2024 drug threat assessment.

Trump hit Canada with economywide tariffs in March after declaring an emergency at the northern border, then partially paused the tariffs a few days later for imports compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.