Washington DC - Drug Enforcement Agency Administrator Terrance Cole told a US Senate appropriations committee hearing on Tuesday that the agency is "keeping our eye on Canada."

Cole's comments came during an appearance in front of a Senate appropriations committee alongside FBI Director Kash Patel.

There, they both testified in favor of President Donald Trump's 2027 budget request.

He announced that the DEA plans on opening two new offices in Canada in 2027 to increase its focus on combating the "very conspicuous" flow of fentanyl and its precursors across the US' northern border.

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According to Cole, precursor chemicals are flowing into the Port of Vancouver, being processed into fentanyl, and then are trucked into the US.

He said that the Trump administration's crackdown on precursors from China as well as Mexican cartels has been successful, but that "we need to make sure we keep an eye on our northern border as well."

"We see more precursors coming into the Port of Vancouver, coming into Canada, and the Canadians with the Mexican cartels in-country have started producing and manufacturing fentanyl in Canada," Cole said.

Patel echoed Cole's comments, telling the committee that "We've had some success there working with our Canadian partners, because the drug traffickers got smart with the securitization of the southern border and moved it up there."

The deepening cooperation between the DEA, FBI, and Canadian authorities comes at a time when other areas of Canada-US relations are becoming increasingly frayed, and as the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the cartels have triggered significant tensions with Mexico.

Despite Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's intention to decouple from the US, on Saturday he declared that Ottawa "remains open" to trade cooperation – so long as the US eases its tariff policy.