More than 3,200 weapons, including 392 firearms, over 4,000 kg of narcotics, and another 1.7 million kg of smuggled tobacco, were seized this year at Ontario's southern border crossings in Windsor, Sarnia, Fort Erie, and Niagara Falls.
The Canada Border Services Agency released its annual list of highlights on Tuesday, and the list of seizures is extensive.
Between January 1 and October 31, the CBSA also seized over $1.8-million in undeclared currency, arrested 397 people wanted on outstanding warrants, and reunited three missing children with their families. There were 135 arrests for impaired driving at the border and 1,406 for other crimes.
Among the notable drug seizures was the October discovery of 615 kg of suspected cocaine in a shipment of grapes at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. Another 460 kgs of suspected cocaine were intercepted by officers at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia last June.
Going back to February, officers at the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel in Windsor seized a handgun, an assault-style rifle, 25 over-capacity magazines, two-bladed rings, and two brass knuckles from just one traveller.
"Over the past year and beyond, the Canada Border Services Agency has played a pivotal role in combatting criminal activity by interdicting guns and illegal drugs at our borders," said Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
A total of 10.5 million conveyances were processed and 19.4 million people, 43 per cent of the national total of land border travellers.
Across the region, border officials also processed 4,400 asylum claims.
Across Canada, 8,500 frontline employees work at the border, intercepting illegal goods and inadmissible people.
Next year, another 200 officers will staff the Gordie Howe International Bridge when it opens in the fall of 2025.
