Border officers in Manitoba made 341 seizures of illegal drugs in first 10 months of 2025

Federal border officers in Manitoba made 341 illegal drug seizures at ports of entry during the first 10 months of the year, while welcoming more than one million travellers, new figures show.

The Canada Border Services Agency said two kilograms each of illegal cannabis and opioids, and one kilogram of cocaine were among the drugs seized.

Nationwide, officers intercepted more than 30,000 kilos of drugs, including 2.6 kilos of fentanyl, a decrease of 47 per cent from the same period in 2024.

Officers in Manitoba seized 20 guns, 855 prohibited weapons and nearly $400,000 in cash that was suspected to be proceeds of crime, up from almost $125,000 last year, the agency said Tuesday.

In two separate incidents in October, the agency said officers at the Emerson border crossing found three undeclared and prohibited guns and magazines when U.S. travellers tried to enter Canada via North Dakota. The travellers paid a fine and were denied entry.

Six drivers were arrested for allegedly being impaired.

Fines totalling $5,200 were issued for food, plant and animal import violations.

The border agency processed more than 214,500 commercial trucks and 2.6 million courier shipments in Manitoba, assessing more than $1.8 billion in duties and taxes, and almost $7 billion in value for duty for trusted traders.

In one case, Manitoba officers looked into a Brampton, Ont., importer bringing in food that didn’t qualify for the GST exemption. The company was ordered to pay $1.7 million in GST and interest.

The agency processed 146 asylum applications between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, down from 169 during the same period last year.

Meanwhile, a 62-year-old Ontario woman is facing charges after she allegedly drove through a Manitoba-North Dakota border crossing without stopping and led police on a chase that ended about 200 kilometres away.

North Dakota Highway Patrol said a driver went through the Pembina, N.D., border station, opposite Emerson, and headed south on Interstate 29 on Dec. 6.

It was unclear why the driver didn’t stop or why they entered the U.S.

U.S. Border Patrol alerted police, who pursued the southbound vehicle. Troopers put a spike strip across the highway, near Grand Forks, in an attempt to deflate its tires, said Lieut. Ryan Panasuk, a regional commander for the highway patrol.

The driver continued to head south until officers used their cruisers to bring the vehicle to a stop and box it in in a snow-filled ditch on I-29 in Cass County, north of Fargo.

The highway patrol said the driver crossed the median and briefly drove in the northbound lanes at one point.

The woman, who was held in custody, is facing charges of fleeing police and reckless endangerment.