December 8, 2025 Halifax, NS Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is detecting and disrupting illegal trans-border activities that threaten Canada's economic prosperity.
An Ontario business owner has been served a $36.9 million penalty for failing to declare over 2,300 used vehicles exported from Canada, following an investigation led by the CBSA.
The CBSA's Criminal Investigations Section in Halifax initiated the investigation in 2021 to further examine an Ontario exporter who was believed to be shipping a large number of used vehicles from Canada to West Africa without completing any of the required export declarations.
Two search warrants executed by the CBSA in London in July 2023 resulted in the seizure of various items including business and financial records, vehicle titles, bills of sales, bankers boxes of documents, computers, cell phones, and SIM cards.
In August 2025, after reviewing and analyzing more than 750,000 records collected throughout the course of the investigation, the CBSA served a Notice of Ascertained Forfeiture to the business owner for not reporting the exported goods as prescribed under section 95 of the Customs Act. The business owner is required to pay CAN$36.9 million-the amount equivalent to the full value of the exported vehicles.
The CBSA thanks the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) for their dedicated work and collaboration during this investigation. The CBSA also recognizes the US Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Forensic Accounting Management Group, and the London Police Service for their assistance.
Anyone with information on suspicious cross-border activity is encouraged to call the toll-free Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060 or fill out the secure online reporting form.
