“The NDP deny the existence of the fentanyl production and trafficking hub they created. This government dismisses US concerns as ‘trade war rhetoric’ while foreign-backed criminals exploit their inaction. The public deserve transparency.”
- Elenore Sturko, Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General & MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale
Victoria, BC: Conservative Public Safety Critic MLA Elenore Sturko is demanding urgent action following the release of a 2023 letter from United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirming high-level US intelligence concerns over British Columbia’s (BC’s) role in the fentanyl supply chain. The letter confirms BC officials were warned years ago about foreign state-sponsored criminals using the province as a production and trafficking hub. Despite this, no action was taken by the NDP.
MLA Sturko notes the letter proves the NDP government ignored high-level warnings about BC’s central role in the North American fentanyl crisis, undermining public safety across Canada and the US, and putting British Columbians in harm’s way.
“The 2023 letter proves what many in public safety have warned for years,” said MLA Sturko. “The NDP’s permissive policies have turned BC into a welcoming environment for state-sponsored organized criminal drug production and trafficking.”
This revelation follows FBI Director Kash Patel’s public claims that BC is now central to the global fentanyl trafficking network and is where precursor chemicals from China are manufactured into fentanyl and trafficked across North America.
Blinken’s 2023 letter show US officials during the Biden administration were alarmed by British Columbia’s weak legal framework, which made it difficult to crack down on fentanyl production, chemical precursor imports, and laundering operations. The letter cited Federal Bureau of Investigation intelligence that Vancouver and BC had become established as a strategic logistics and production hub for synthetic opioids.
BC Premier David Eby and Public Safety Minister Garry Begg continue to deny the allegations, citing curated data. However, experts admit relying on seizure data grossly underrepresents the volume of fentanyl exported from Canada.
MLA Sturko condemned the NDP for ignoring these warnings: “The NDP deny the existence of the fentanyl production and trafficking hub they created. This government dismisses US concerns as ‘trade war rhetoric’ while foreign-backed criminals exploit their inaction. The public deserve transparency.”
MLA Sturko is demanding the NDP establish a bipartisan provincial task force to address fentanyl trafficking, transnational crime, and drug production in BC.
“This is about national security, organized crime, and the credibility of the BC provincial government,” concluded MLA Sturko. “The NDP have allowed BC to become a hub for foreign-backed drug traffickers entering the global market. British Columbians urgently need decisive action and accountability.”
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Media contact:
Robert Eales, Communications Officer
Robert.Eales@leg.bc.ca
+1 (778) 967-2818
