National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy

Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) operating on both sides of the United States and Canada border are exploiting the international boundary to move proceeds from illegal drugs sold in the United States and Canada and to transport drugs such as marijuana, Ecstasy, meth, and cocaine between the two countries. The border is the longest border between two countries in the world, spanning 5, 225 miles. The United States and Canada recognize that the threat from TCOs is a threat to regional security and stability of both countries. To increase each country's individual security and economic vitality, the United States and Canada must appropriately plan, train, and act together to address threats at the earliest point possible and work toward optimizing joint border management goals. On February 4, 2011, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper articulated this understanding of shared responsibility for our security in Beyond the Border: A Joint Vision for Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness (BTB) which, among other things, confirms that the United States and Canada are "staunch allies, vital economic partners, and steadfast friends."