Manitoba border crossings up 13%: CBSA

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This article was published 13/12/2024 (278 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The volume of border crossings through Manitoba rose exponentially this year, and so did the number of seizures made for weapons, firearms, illegal drugs and tobacco, data shared by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) with the Sun reveals.

More than 1.5 million people crossed into Manitoba through 22 provincial border crossings during the first 10 months of this year. Crossings jumped by approximately 13 per cent to 1,533,638, as of Oct. 31 this year, the CBSA said, sharing its year in review data.

Sixteen of Manitoba’s 22 ports of entry are land crossings, while five can be accessed by air. It’s sole marine port is located in Churchill. All 16 land crossings are direct U.S.-Canada ports of entry.

The province’s Boissevain 24-hour border crossing reported the largest drugs bust earlier this year, said Ken McGregor, CBSA’s chief of operations for Southern Manitoba District.

CBSA officers at the Boissevain crossing intercepted a shipment of methamphetamine weighing over 406 kilograms on Jan. 14, McGregor added,“It was the largest illegal narcotic seizure in the Prairie region’s history. It was about four million doses, with an estimated street value of $50 million.”

Canada’s border security agency has currently deployed 169 active border services officers across Manitoba, as well as enforcement officers, superintendents, chiefs and student border officers.

McGregor did not disclose the exact number of officers currently posted at the Boissevain border crossing citing security reasons, but added that approximately 800 front line officers are currently posted at various border crossings in the Prairie region, which includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Security measures in use include x-ray machines and the use of detector dogs, but McGregor added that boots on the ground are the most important aspect of border security operations. They (officers) are trained to look for “indicators of non-compliance” and use other investigative techniques to weed out those who might be hiding something, no matter their age or what they may be driving.

“Criminals can appear in any demographic; there’s no immune group, and our officers are trained to try and detect that out of those people, who you wouldn’t normally suspect of being in that role,” McGregor explained.

Among other notable seizures made between Jan. 1, and Oct. 31 is a sharp rise in the seizures of stun guns. Canada has imposed a ban on all conducted energy weapons, such as stun guns and tasers.

This year, the CBSA seized 139 stun guns, compared with just two in 2023.

A marginal increase in total number of weapons seized has also been reported, pegged at 164 till Oct. 31 this year, up from a total of 160 in 2023.

The CBSA also seized 19 illegal weapons from travellers in 2024, compared with 11 last year.

Cannabis seizures more than doubled with 12.2 kilograms seized until Oct. 31 this year, up from 5.18 kilograms in 2023.

The amount of illegal tobacco impounded by border guard officers in 2024 also grew four-fold to 689.4 kilograms, compared with 141.02 kilograms in 2023.

Border guards processed 2,519,059 courier shipments in 2024, which was 155,715 less than the total shipments processed in 2023.

Currency seizures also jumped by $25,768.67 in 2024 to $123,393.14, from a year ago.

McGregor started his career with the CBSA in 2006 as a border guard. Since then, he has worked at “most land border points in Manitoba,” as well as some airports across the country.

He added that an internal intelligence division within the CBSA keeps him and his team informed by sharing intelligence instrumental in intercepting illegal contraband.

“We’re engaged constantly with external stakeholders and other law enforcement agencies, and this helps us ensure we’re keeping Canada and Canadians safe.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele