Years before FBI Director Kash Patel’s public bombshells, a 2023 diplomatic letter dispels the notion that concerns about Vancouver’s role as a fentanyl hub are partisan or exclusive to Trump-era rhetoric.

By The Bureau

In Brief

A 2023 diplomatic letter from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, obtained by The Bureau, reveals bipartisan U.S. concerns about Canada’s role in global fentanyl trafficking—predating FBI Director Kash Patel’s recent public allegations.

During a 2023 Cities Summit of the Americas roundtable focused on synthetic opioids, Blinken privately echoed Patel’s later claims: China is intentionally weaponizing fentanyl against North America, with CCP-linked networks collaborating with Mexican cartels to exploit Canadian logistical and legal weaknesses.

Blinken cited U.S. exasperation over Canada’s legal gaps and enforcement inertia, particularly regarding precursor chemical shipments, money laundering, and prosecuting transnational networks. A notable example was the collapse of the Sam Gor syndicate investigation—a U.S.-initiated probe into CCP-cartel collaboration—due to Canadian judicial shortcomings. The failed Sam Gor case exacerbated U.S. doubts about Canada’s willingness to act on shared intelligence, leading to withheld sensitive information.

The letter demonstrates cross-administration U.S. alarm over Canada’s systemic vulnerabilities and frames the opioid crisis as a hemispheric security threat with geopolitical dimensions.

Read the full report at the publisher’s website here.