Flags wave outside the Whitehorse RCMP building. CKRW File Photo.
Whitehorse, YT – A new 2024 report reveals that Yukon’s drug market is not only growing in scale but also costing the territory millions despite efforts to curb the activity.
The Criminal Intelligence Service British Columbia/Yukon notes that organized crime networks from British Columbia and Alberta have increased their presence, trafficking up to 20 kilograms of cocaine into the territory each month, marking a 75 percent rise since 2021.
The estimated cost of illicit drugs in the territory is projected to exceed $245 million by 2026, with opioids and cocaine now the most significant contributor to early deaths, surpassing alcohol.
The overdose death rate lowered from 53.5 per 100,000 in 2021 to 37.8 in 2024 but emergency room visits for overdoses are rising.
An estimated $58.9 million in lost productivity from opioid deaths was recorded last year.
In a Yukon RCMP statement, Chief Superintendent Lindsay Ellis notes that efforts such as the Car 867 initiative and the large cocaine seizure in March 2024 have temporarily disrupted the drug trade.
