Pubdate: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Suzanne Fournier, Staff Writer VANCOUVER AIRPORT NO. 2 FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY RCMP Spent Two Years Analyzing Biggest Terminals An RCMP inquiry has concluded that all of Canada's major airports have been infiltrated by organized crime, and Vancouver airport has the worst gang activity after Toronto. The investigation, dubbed Project Spawn, examined hundreds of police files at Canada's eight largest airports between 2005 and 2007 and concluded hundreds of people were involved in crime, including almost 300 current or former airport employees. "Of the 58 organized-crime groups included in this report . . . 60 per cent were known to be utilizing Toronto International Airport . . . followed by 50 per cent at Vancouver International Airport," said the report. Based on files examined, the RCMP found that all of the heroin smuggled into Canada from India came through Vancouver, as well as close to half of all the cocaine. It also found significant human trafficking at the Vancouver airport. The study warned that airport staff compromised by criminal activity can be easily exploited by terrorists. "[Airport] staff can be bribed to ignore criminality or paid large sums to assist in drug trafficking or theft," said the RCMP. "Once compromised, such employees may be . . . weak links . . . unable to stand up to terrorists." Less than one per cent of airport employees in high-security areas are searched either on their way in or out. Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh said the travelling public, which is still facing confiscation of tiny vials of lotion or tweezers by zealous airport security guards, "will have to see these as seriously frightening statistics." Dosanjh criticized the fact that federal agencies that do criminal-background checks of airport employees don't share information with the RCMP, due to privacy laws. The report sidesteps the issue, though it admits that "certain information about airport employees that would have been useful in identifying potential criminality . . . was not provided [to RCMP] by Transport Canada." Don Ehrenholz, operations vice-president for the Vancouver Airport Authority, said "we will be working closely with Transport Canada and the RCMP to investigate what can be done to improve security at the airport." Chief Supt. Pierre Perron, director-general of criminal intelligence for the RCMP, said the report points up the need for greater co-operation and information-sharing between agencies. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin