U.S. border officials told Global News that outbound searches of vehicles heading north into Canada are now the norm and will be happening indefinitely.
Global News was given a behind-the-scenes tour of operations at the Blaine border crossing on Thursday and attended more than five hours of presentations from the port director, agriculture specialist and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.
U.S. officials say that while the majority of Canadians heading north are bringing back the usual gas and groceries, on May 1 they stepped up vehicle searches for drug smuggling and human trafficking.
That day, rounds of ammunition were seized from a Nexus traveller.
May 1: found on the first day of outbound search at Pac Hwy. 33 rounds of 12 gauge and 281 rounds of 9 mm ammunition on a Nexus Traveler departing the U.S. Person lost Nexus privileges. Customs and Border Protection
When asked why the outbound searches were still happening when the searches have not yielded much, U.S. border officials told Global News it would be negligent not to do them considering drugs flow through the border.
Officials also said border officers are not screening Canadians’ text messages and social media or asking questions about what travellers think of U.S. President Donald Trump, as those are just stories.
Trump and other top U.S. officials have blamed Canada for the influx of fentanyl into the United States, but officers in Blaine said they typically see MDMA and methamphetamine.
At the truck crossing earlier this week, Customs and Border Protection seized bags of herbal tea, laced with cocaine.
source&photo: Global News
