Pubdate: Tue, 28 Oct 2003
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2003 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Adrian Humphreys and Stewart Bell

DRUG SMUGGLING EPIDEMIC AT MAJOR AIRPORTS

RCMP Report: Airport Staff Suspected Of Working For Organized Crime

Canada's largest airports have been so well infiltrated by gangsters they
have become the primary gateway for smuggling illegal drugs into Canada, an
internal RCMP report says.

"The presence of organized-crime members has been well established at all
three major international airports in Canada -- Montreal, Toronto and
Vancouver. Most of their criminal activity centres around drug trafficking
and immigration offences," the report says.

"Airports are one of the main entry points for drugs in Canada."

Drug trafficking through the airports is so epidemic that airport seizures
accounted for 92% of the heroin, 90% of the ecstasy, 40% of the cocaine and
40% of the liquid hashish seized in Canada last year.

The report was circulated internally at the end of April, 2003, and a
heavily edited version was released to the National Post under the Access to
Information Act.

The report says security weaknesses at Canada's airports have another
sinister implication.

"Vulnerabilities exploited by organized-crime groups to conceal contraband
aboard aircraft and to move freely in restricted/ secure areas can also be
exploited by terrorist organizations," the report says.

Last year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada reported 2,845 improperly
documented arrivals at Canada's 14 international airports, a 32% decline
from 2001. That is the lowest figure since the department started collecting
data in 1989.

"Enhanced controls, in Canada and abroad, contributed to this decrease," the
report said, referring to new security procedures brought in after the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.

RCMP Staff Sergeant Bill Matheson, in charge of the Toronto Airport Drug
Enforcement Unit, a joint forces operation, said the report's finding comes
as no surprise.

His unit does not have the resources to investigate a number of employees
working at Toronto's Pearson International Airport who are suspected of
diverting drug shipments for organized crime groups, he said.

"These are not highly paid or highly trained individuals and can be easily
compromised. The money aspect is just so great," he said.

He has seen baggage handlers, airline employees, cargo company employees,
security guards and even a Canada Customs employee work as part of drug
smuggling rings.

"Typically, the bag is marked with a ribbon on the handle or a large logo on
the bag that they can see ... to let him know this is the bag and he then
pulls it, hides it somewhere and then takes it out to the parking lot and
meets the other organization members or puts it in his own car and after
work drives it to a pre-arranged meeting spot and hands it over," Staff Sgt.
Matheson said.

He has also seen bags stuffed with drugs thrown over a security fence to be
caught by co-conspirators on the other side.

During investigations, he has heard gangsters brag to colleagues about their
corrupted contacts at the airport, using the connection as a badge of
underworld honour.

Shipping drugs by plane makes economic sense, Staff Sgt. Matheson said. "It
is much faster than putting it on a boat."

Policing of the airports is an issue with many competing interests, the
report says.

"Any policing strategy developed for airports must strike a balance between
uninterrupted flow of commercial activity versus the interdiction of
contraband, the security of travellers, the safety of the nation and
Canada's international commitments to address terrorism," the report's
section on airports concludes.

RCMP Organized Crime Targets:

BRITISH COLUMBIA

"In British Columbia, EEOC [East European Organized Crime] is more prevalent
than had previously been thought."

ALBERTA

"British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and, increasingly, Quebec, are major
areas of activity for Asian-based criminal groups."

SASKATCHEWAN

"Identity theft in Canada is spreading....

The significance of this problem was highlighted in January, 2003, by an
incident involving the theft of a hard drive from a Regina-based data
management firm."

MANITOBA

"Recent intelligence initiatives have revealed a number of diverse EEOC
groups in Manitoba.... Many of these groups and individuals are involved in
various aspects of money-laundering."

ONTARIO

"The Hells Angels in Ontario have also continued efforts to solidify their
presence.... The Golden Horseshoe remains a TOC [Traditional Organized
Crime, i.e. Italian Mafia] stronghold."

QUEBEC

"In Montreal, criminal Tamil gangs have been active in a variety of street
crime including extortion, home invasion, theft and drug trafficking....
There are indications of strong links between Tamil gangs in Montreal and
Toronto, including exchanges of services, drugs and weapons."

NEW BRUNSWICK

"Vietnamese-based organized groups occupy prominent positions within the
organized crime milieu in British Columbia and Ontario. They are also
present in other divisions namely Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick."

NOVA SCOTIA

"The Port of Halifax remains a gateway for large shipments of drugs destined
for Quebec.... RCMP seized 600 kilograms of cocaine in the Caribbean in
June, 2002, that were destined for Nova Scotia."

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

"TOC activities in the Atlantic region revolve around the supply and
trafficking of drugs."

NEWFOUNDLAND

"The Hells Angels have chapters in all provinces except New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador."

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

The report refers to "EEOC action against the Canadian diamond industry."

Source: "Strategic assessment of the nature and extent of organized crime in
Canada," RCMP, Criminal Intelligence Directorate, April 30, 2003,
Classification: Protected "B".
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