Officials with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are reporting an increase of drug smuggling attempts through commercial means at Windsor ports of entry.
The CBSA released its year in review highlighting 2025 stats.
One of the more notable incidents this year was the seizure of $23.4 million of suspected cocaine at the Ambassador Bridge in May.
CBSA acting chief Akif Ahmad said incidents such as these are being more common.
"[We've seen] a substantial increase in the attempt and intercept of cocaine smuggling through the Windsor-Sarnia corridor, and our border service officers have the tools to be able to interdict those shipments," he said.
Ahmad said partnerships with other agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection are key to helping stop smugglers.
"Our partners play a key role in how we do our business. All trends that we see are definitely analyzed and monitored by our internal intelligence and targeting teams. Obviously that plays a hand in us remaining vigilant to ensure that all harmful substances remain off the streets," said Ahmad.
Ahmad said numerous weapons were seized at Windsor border crossings in 2025.
"[Border services officers] at the Ambassador Bridge and Windsor-Detroit Tunnel ports of entry seized approximately 150 firearms, as well, 813 prohibited weapons and devices from travellers that were seeking entry into Canada," he said.
The CBSA Southern Ontario Region (SOR) covers cities such as Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, London, Sarnia, and Windsor.
In 2025, the CBSA says SOR officers seized:
The SOR also welcomed 16.5 million individuals, accounting for 46 per cent of the national total of land border travellers.