VANCOUVER, B.C. — Canadian authorities seized 48,000 unauthorized COVID-19 test kits during border stops in the first three months of the pandemic.
They also detained 4.5 million units of personal protective equipment, 33,000 prescription pills and over 1500 other potentially unsafe items in that period.
The Canada Border Services Agency partnered with Canadian police and Health Canada in this effort, called Project Purify, to prevent potentially dangerous products from entering their communities.
A CBSA spokesperson says some importers genuinely did not recognize certain products require specific permits, but others tried to take advantage of the circumstances during the height of the pandemic and attempted to import the products for financial gains.