The U.S. drug enforcement agency isn't just worried about illicit drugs coming in from Mexico — it's pointing to last fall's bust of a North Okanagan "superlab" as evidence of a growing threat of drugs coming from Canada.
In October 2024, the RCMP took down what it called the largest and most sophisticated drug lab in Canada. The lab, located in Falkland, was capable of producing 95 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.
A large amount of precursor chemicals were seized Oct. 25, alongside 54 kg of fentanyl, 390 kg of methamphetamine, 35 kg of cocaine, 15 kg of MDMA and 6 kg of cannabis. The RCMP said busting the lab prevented an estimated $485 million in profits being earned by a transnational organized crime group.
Where those drugs would have ended up can't be known, but the U.S.'s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has highlighted the lab in its 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment report.
"In addition to the synthetic drug threat from Mexico, elevated synthetic drug production in Canada—particularly from sophisticated fentanyl 'super laboratories' such as the type seized by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in October 2024—presents a growing concern for the United States," the report states.
The report says estimated flows of fentanyl from Canada remain dwarfed by the amount coming from Mexico.
"As of Spring 2025, 22.7 kilograms of Canada-sourced fentanyl were seized at the U.S.-Canada border in 2024, compared to 9,354 kilograms seized at the U.S.-Mexico border," reads the report.
But the report says labs like the one in Falkland "have the potential to expand and fill any supply void created by disruptions to Mexico-sourced fentanyl production and trafficking."
The report comes months after then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed a fentanyl czar, at the behest of U.S. president Donald Trump, who initially cited illicit drugs coming from Canada as a justification for his tariff plans. Kevin Brosseau was named Canada's fentanyl czar in February.
Only one person — Gaganpreet Randhawa — has been arrested in connection to the Falkland superlab to date.
"Although our enforcement actions have dealt a decisive blow to transnational organized crime, our investigation is ongoing and our investigators are working to determine the common source of these chemicals, and all individuals involved," RCMP assistant commissioner David Teboul said in October.
