What drugs are often seized at US-Canada border? Data shows less than 1% is fentanyl
Though President Donald Trump pushed Canada to appoint a “fentanyl czar” to avoid steep tariffs, data of drug seizures at the northern border shows that fentanyl makes up less than 1% of drug seizures in the last three years.
Tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine and marijuana have been seized at the U.S.-Canada border, while about 70 pounds of fentanyl have been seized since October 2021, the start of the 2022 fiscal year, data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows.
In the last three years, fentanyl seizures made up just 0.05% of all drug seizures at the northern border, according to data.
There has been bipartisan support for a crackdown on fentanyl as drug overdose deaths skyrocket, reaching 105,007 deaths in 2023, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
“Getting fentanyl off the streets is a herculean task that will require us all to come together and work across the aisle to make this country healthier and safer,” Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said Feb. 4.
Drugs at the northern border
Marijuana, cocaine and Khat are the top three drugs most seized at the U.S.-Canada border in the last three years, data shows.
Those three drugs alone have made up over 93% of seizures in recent years, while ecstasy, fentanyl, heroin, ketamine, LSD and methamphetamine make up the majority of the remaining 7%.
Seizures at the northern border are drastically less compared to the southern border. Since Oct. 2021, over 856,000 pounds of drugs have been seized at the U.S.-Mexico border, while approximately 130,000 have been seized at the border to the north, according to the data.
The amount of drugs seized at the northern border has also declined since the beginning of the 2022 fiscal year, data shows.
During fiscal year 2022, over 60,000 pounds of drugs were seized. By fiscal year 2024, approximately 11,600 pounds were seized, data shows.
Trump met with leaders of Mexico and Canada just hours before he planned to impose a 25% tariff on the countries’ exports into the United States.
Enforcement of the tariffs was paused for 30 days as the president came to an agreement with the two countries to increase enforcement at the borders, according to the White House.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo agreed to send 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to curb drug trafficking, both Pardo and Trump said on their respective social media accounts Feb. 3.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed to implement a $1.3 billion border plan, which would also send 10,000 Canadian troops to the U.S.-Canada border, Trudeau said in a Feb. 3 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He added that Canada will appoint a “fentanyl czar” to curb trafficking of the drug.
2025 outlook
Ten pounds of fentanyl have been seized at the northern border since the beginning of the 2025 fiscal year, data shows.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection tracks drug seizures by fiscal year, so tracking for 2025 began Oct. 1.
Fentanyl makes up 0.29% of drugs seized during the 2025 fiscal year to date.
Cocaine and marijuana remain the top two drugs most often seized thus far this year.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 12:29 PM with the headline "What drugs are often seized at US-Canada border? Data shows less than 1% is fentanyl."
