Two men have appeared in Richmond Provincial Court after $20 million worth of heroin was found inside shipped goods at Vancouver International Airport.
A joint operation between RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Vancouver Police Department led to the arrest of the two men.
Randy Norman Per, 42, and Tenny Guon Lim, 34, are charged with possession of 35 kilograms of heroin for the purpose of trafficking. Per has been released, while Lim remains in custody.
The heroin seizure is the largest in the CBSA Pacific Region's recent history.
The arrests were a result of an 18-month criminal investigation that involved all of the aforementioned agencies.
According to police, the investigation focused on allegations that an individual or individuals were involved in the movement of suspected contraband from South Asia into Canada, via YVR.
"Organized crime groups continuously seek to penetrate legitimate systems to transport illegal commodities in order to achieve profit," said assistant commissioner Wayne Rideout, criminal operations officer for RCMP Investigative Services and Organized Crime.
"This RCMP federal policing-led coordinated investigation has successfully prevented a significant quantity of heroin from reaching British Columbia and Canada."
"This heroin seizure represents a serious loss to the organized crime group attempting to import and profit from its illegal and destructive distribution here in Canada," added Rideout.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
