On November 5, 2020, the CBSA, Health Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the results of a Government of Canada initiative to combat unauthorized or counterfeit goods attempting to enter Canada through British Columbia.
Vancouver, British Columbia
The Government of Canada continues to take action to prevent the importation of unauthorized or illegal health products at border crossings across Canada.
Today, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Health Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced the results of a Government of Canada initiative to combat unauthorized or counterfeit goods attempting to enter Canada through British Columbia.
Project Purify is a multi-departmental partnership between the CBSA, Health Canada and the RCMP, which was established to enhance the identification, interception and tracking of unauthorized or counterfeit COVID-19 health-related products in British Columbia between March 20th and June 30th, 2020.
During this period, over 380 shipments of unauthorized content or counterfeit COVID-19-related goods were detained at the border, including:
- 48,000 COVID-19 test kits;
- 4.5 million units of personal protective equipment;
- 33,000 prescription tablets and pills; and
- over 1,500 other intercepts of fraudulent and potentially dangerous products.
The CBSA seized mislabelled or improperly declared goods, and referred others to Health Canada, who then seized or refused entry.
When the CBSA detects unauthorized or counterfeit goods, these goods are referred to the RCMP to address safety and security concerns or Health Canada to address potential health risks.
