CBSA has seized hundreds of litres of precursor chemicals from China used to produce fentanyl.
Cops announced the seizure of 4,300 litres of precursor chemicals coming from China, at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility in Delta. On May 13 and 15, 2025, CBSA border services officers examined two marine containers from China that were destined for Calgary. The containers were flagged and referred to border services officers by CBSA intelligence personnel in the Pacific Region and from the National Targeting Centre. Within the containers, CBSA officers found 60 clear jugs and 20 blue drums containing the following precursor chemicals:
3,600L of 1,4 Butanediol – precursor for GHB, also known as the ‘date-rape drug’
500L of Propionyl Chloride – a fentanyl precursor
200L of Gamma butyrolactone (GBL)
Propionyl chloride is used in several well-known synthetic pathways that clandestine chemists use to produce fentanyl, including the Janssen, Siegfried, and Gupta methods. In these processes, it is a replacement for propionic anhydride, another chemical that is regulated as a controlled substance. The final step in some pathways involves reacting a fentanyl intermediate, such as ANPP, with propionyl chloride to create fentanyl.
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