Hundreds of criminal gangs have turned to wholesale production of fentanyl, says a confidential federal memo. Canada is now a net exporter of fentanyl to the United States and Australia, officials say.

“The Canadian Security Intelligence Service identifies more than 350 organized crime groups actively involved in the domestic illegal fentanyl market,” said the Memorandum For The Prime Minister. “Synthetic drugs are increasingly being produced in Canada using precursor chemicals largely sourced from China.”