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Nathanson Centre for the study of Organized Crime and Corruption |
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NEW YORK - Robert Simels, a prominent Manhattan defense lawyer was sentenced to 14 years in prison for plotting to hurt witnesses testifying against his client in a drug case. (NY Daily News) MORE: Simels gets 14 years Shadeed 'Roger' Khan
CALGARY - A woman found in what police say is a Calgary brothel told an Immigration and Refugee board hearing that she fears for her life because she is in debt to Hong Kong loan shark. (Calgary Herald) MORE: Sex worker ordered deported Trafficking arrests Sex slaves 'sold' for $4K |
THUNDER BAY - Police searching a home in northern Ontario have literally uncovered a whopping $1.2M in cash buried outside. The enormous sum of money in denominations of $20 and higher was found buried 20 to 25 centimetres underground in a large Tupperware-like container. (CP) MORE: Police seize cash
SINGAPORE - Deputy US Atty. Gen. David Ogden, speaking at the 78th general assembly of the global police agency Interpol, told delegates that they needed to act more forcefully to combat transnational organized crime groups whose proceeds now comprise up to 15% of the global gross domestic product. (LA Times) |
PENDRAGON Consulting Services
Specialists in Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Terrorist Financing Guidance |
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NANAIMO - This was the "best year ever" for outdoor marijuana crops on Vancouver Island, with both growers and Mounties hauling tens of thousands of plants out of the forests. (Nanaimo Daily News) PREVIOUS: Competition
LONDON - Seven people have been arrested and 27 addresses raided over a suspected £38M fraud involving the trade of carbon credits to avoid paying value-added tax (VAT). (Telegraph UK)
Breaking up Government and Corporate 'Organized Crime' As noted in the "Godfather" movie, one man with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns. (Hernando Today)
WASHINGTON - Organized crime gangs are exploiting a new target for illegal profit: Medicare and Medicaid. Experienced in running drug, prostitution and gambling rings, crime groups of various ethnicities and nationalities are learning it's safer and potentially more profitable to file fraudulent claims with the federal Medicare program and state-run Medicaid plans. (CNN)
WASHINGTON - The 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report highlights the growth of methamphetamine “superlabs” throughout the country, particularly in BC and Ontario. The report says Canada has become the No. 1 source of ecstasy south of the border. (CP) REPORT: 2009 INCSR report
UN debates drug policy's impact VIENNA - The UN's Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) is meeting in Vienna to review the effectiveness of drug control over the past decade. Critics say the policies are flawed, contributing to organized crime, violence and instability in the developing world. But the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says there has been progress. It says the number of drug users, about 5% of the world's population, has stabilized over the past few years. (BBC)
NEW YORK - Nicholas Cosmo, founder of Agape World Inc in Hauppauge, New York, swindled investors out of more than $370 million and used the money to pay for limousines, fund a baseball league and pay off a restitution order from an earlier fraud. (Bloomberg) MORE: Cosmo owed money to the Mob Cosmo gambled it away
$1M ransom paid in kidnap case VANCOUVER - Three people were abducted and held for four weeks in 2006 and ransom payments totalling more than $1 million were made in Vancouver, Toronto and China in a case going to a pretrial hearing. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: Rescue ended month in captivity |
Vehicles stolen in GTA shipped around the world TORONTO - Two factors have exacerbated the problem: Canadian border officials don't routinely check shipping containers to see if the cars inside are stolen, and police auto theft squads have weakened over time. (Toronto Star) MORE: Top 10 stolen vehicles Motor vehicle theft in Canada, 2007
TORONTO - The Ontario Court of Appeal has sentenced Simon Rosenfeld, 63, to five years in prison for money laundering instead of the three he received at trial, citing his status as a lawyer as a "significant aggravating factor" worthy of harsher punishment. (National Post) PREVIOUS: Be tougher on corrupt lawyers
TORONTO - A Brampton man who's considered a modern-day Robin Hood has been convicted in the US of leading a drug smuggling ring that trucked at least 36,000 kilos of cocaine from California to Toronto. (Sun Media) MORE: Convictions in drug case 'Biggest there is' Bakersfield drug bust Drug dealers with a big heart
Criminal gangs in the USA have swelled to an estimated 1M members responsible for up to 80% of crimes in communities across the nation, according to a gang threat assessment compiled by federal officials. (USA Today) REPORT: National gang threat assessment 2009 .pdf
OTTAWA - Provincial governments were spared the prospect of returning millions of dollars in seized property when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Crown has the power to confiscate the proceeds of crime. (CanWest) JUDGMENT: 2009 SCC 19 Feds seize $281.4M in assets from crooks Seized property directorate grows Ontario criminals pay hefty price
ATHENS - Kidnappers released an ailing Greek shipping magnate eight days after abducting him at gunpoint near his home, police said. The 74-year-old tycoon, Pericles Panagopoulos, was freed hours after his family paid the kidnappers a multi-million dollar ransom, police said. (CNN)
OTTAWA - The government is launching a security crackdown on more than 100,000 workers at Canada's airports and marine ports. The initiative comes through a new deal signed by the federal Transport Department and the RCMP to weed out organized-crime operatives from restricted areas. (CanWest) MORE: RCMP study reveals OC web Project Spawn .pdf |
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OTTAWA - Parliamentarians are considering whether the Conservative government should create a list of banned criminal organizations - starting with the Hells Angels - just as terrorist organizations are officially blacklisted. (CanWest) |
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VICTORIA - CBC News has obtained documents that show 33 cases of suspected loan sharking were reported around BC's casinos in a two-and-a-half-year period from 2002 to 2004. The documents show that out of 33 cases of suspected loan sharking, police were called only three times. (CBC) Loan sharks feeding at River Rock |
Life & death of 'Big Sister' Betty Suspected money laundering at casinos Money launderers suspected of using casino slots Legacy of husband's casino debts Casino loophole lets criminals launder cash Richmond casino is a crime magnet |
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HONG KONG - Police have charged nine men over the killing of a Hong Kong triad boss who was hacked to death by suspected rival gang members. (AFP) |
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ST HELIER - Drugs baron Curtis Warren who is believed to have amassed a fortune of £300M was convicted of trying to smuggle £1M worth of cannabis. (Daily Mail) Plan to target organized crime SOCA annual report 2008/09 .pdf Getting Organized .pdf |
Comprehensive approach to tackling serious OC Police create map of criminal gangs Britain's 'Godfather' behind bars Nottingham's 'godfather of crime' |
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BERLIN - Violence, payoffs, drugs: A widening investigation into soccer corruption in Europe turned more explosive last week as allegations out of Germany had criminals supplying sedatives to team doctors and officials to be used to affect players and the outcome of games. (Toronto Star) |
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CONAKRY - Guinea's military leaders have uncovered a plot to overthrow the government in the poor, unstable West African nation, state radio reported. It said in a report Saturday night that military ruler Capt. Moussa Dadis Camara put the army on high alert after learning of a planned attack from fighters in neighboring Guinea-Bissau and Liberia. It said the coup plot appears to be backlash from drug traffickers deposed by Camara when he seized power in December. (AP) |
Guinea on alert for 'attack plot' by cartels Crime lords 'ruining West Africa' Organized crime plundering West Africa W Africa transit for $1B in cocaine |
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HOUSTON - Thi Phoung Mai Le, 43, of Ottawa, Ontario, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for her role in an international narcotics money laundering scheme. (BackgroundNow) PREVIOUS: Convicted of money laundering |
Why gangs took over shoplifting Shoplifting and retail losses represent a growing crime and one where sophisticated and organized criminal rings have joined the smaller players in targeting everything from Oil of Olay to baby formula to widescreen TVs. (Vancouver Sun) MORE: The war on retail crime |
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TORONTO - A drug dealer wounded in a botched Harbourfront transaction once masterminded America's largest Ecstasy smuggling ring, which employed naive Hasidic Jews as couriers. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Dealer's reduced term irks police Man shot at Harbour Castle former drug dealer 3 arrested in hotel shooting Holy Rollers |
TORONTO - Sataya Vongkosy, 32, faces 180 charges after the massive police bust, which targeted an illicit drugs-for-guns operation that spanned much of Southern Ontario and reached into the US. (Toronto Star) MORE: Project Blackhawk results in more than 440 charges Charges after guns, drugs blitz 'This is a big deal' |
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CALGARY - Cleaning up Calgary's downtown streets also means keeping a close eye on what's happening in the office towers, says an international expert on organized crime. (Calgary Herald) |
BC hits criminals in the wallet VICTORIA - BC's two-year-old civil forfeiture program is a huge success, having taken $5 million away from criminals and gangsters, Solicitor-General John van Dongen said. (Vancouver Sun) |
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Police seize 15M ecstasy pills SYDNEY - An international drugs and money laundering syndicate has been smashed by a joint European and Australian police operation following the world's largest single seizure of ecstasy with a street value of $A440 million. (Times online) MORE: World's biggest ecstasy bust |
Canada's spreading cannabis crop VANCOUVER - The striking aspect of BC's marijuana trade is that it has gone beyond the boundaries of traditional organized crime groups (although some are still heavily involved) and entered into the middle classes. (BBC) PREVIOUS: Cocaine central |
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PORT-AU-PRINCE - A Canadian woman abducted last week in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been released and is in good condition, United Nations Police have confirmed. (CTV) |
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TOKYO - The Yakuza is one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates in the world. It is Japan's not-so-secret version of the Mafia, with 85,000 members who trace their roots back to 17th century Samurai warriors. Deeply embedded in Japanese business and culture, the Yakuza also have their tentacles into this country and American law enforcement knows it. (60 Minutes) |
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Police raid two currency exchanges VANCOUVER - Two Langley downtown currency exchanges were raided by heavily armed police resulting in four arrests and the seizure of large amounts of cash. Police raided the Capital Forex storefront at 5560 204 St. and also the Global Tourist Centre Currency Exchange located at unit 106, 20505 Fraser Hwy. Both businesses are apparently owned or managed by Robin Rathor, who could not be reached for comment. (Langley Advance) MORE: Mounties accuse 4 of money laundering Cash houses under fire |
VANCOUVER - Growing evidence suggests that Canada’s Pacific fishing fleet is also being used to facilitate other criminal activities, including the transport of drugs and illegal firearms by outlawed biker gangs and former Soviet Union crime syndicates, according to the National Study of Crime in the Australian Fishing Industry. (Asian Pacific Press) PREVIOUS: Australian Institute of Criminology Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing |
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Police seize arsenal in traffic stop AJAX - A Montreal man who police say was caught driving an SUV loaded with guns, drugs, lab equipment and a grenade is facing 64 charges after being pulled over in Ajax, Ont. Police say Hanna Anastas, 34, was driving a vehicle matching the description of one wanted by police. (CanWest) |
SEATTLE - A Chilliwack trucker faces at least five years - and possibly 40 years - in jail for conspiracy to smuggle marijuana into the US. A jury in US federal court in Seattle deliberated for a day-and-a-half following a week-long trial before convicting Corey Wirsz, 26. (Vancouver Province) MORE: Trucker guilty of smuggling pot |
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VANCOUVER - The kingpin of a pair of Richmond drug labs that had the chemicals to make 15 million hits of ecstasy has been handed the longest prison sentence in Canadian history for such a crime. (Vancouver Province) |
SECHELT - A BC judge has ordered a marijuana grower on the Sunshine Coast to turn over his mortgage-free $600,000 home to the government in what appears to be the largest such forfeiture in BC history. (Vancouver Sun) |
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The Conservatives are denying a report that Canadian journalist Mellissa Fung was released by her Afghan captors in a swap for two Taliban leaders. She was released after a month of negotiations between CBC staff, Canadian and Afghan officials and her captors. (CTV) |
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ISRAEL - This is the fifth and final installment in a five-part series about organized crime in Israel. (Tablet) |
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MONTREAL - Pierre Boivin, 59, a specialist in financial law, found himself on the opposite side of the prisoner's dock when Quebec Court Judge Paul Chevalier ruled in a case that had been stalled for years by an attempt by the lawyer to withdraw the guilty plea he entered in September 2005, along with two co-accused. (Montreal Gazette) |
VANCOUVER - Zhen Ai Xu, otherwise known as Pinky, gets to keep her silver BMW SUV. But she has had to give up to the BC government one of her houses, a million-dollar Richmond home run as a high-volume brothel that was raided by police last Feb. 8. (Vancouver Province) PREVIOUS: Warrant reveals pimp's life Top madam earned millions Police bust Pinky's places |
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Government and organized crime: History of co-existence MOSCOW - A government is the organization which is the governing authority of a political unit, also the ruling power in a political society, and the apparatus through which a governing body functions and exercises authority. Government have the authority to make laws, to arbitrate disputes, to issue administrative decisions, and a monopoly in authorizing force. (Pravda) |
WASHINGTON - Launching a campaign against such international criminals, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said they were more adaptable and sophisticated than La Cosa Nostra and other syndicates the US government set out to defeat half a century ago. (Reuters) MORE: Criminals target energy, financial markets AG targeting international organized crime Center for Strategic and International Studies |
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The National Intelligence Council released its latest study on the world’s future last week, Global Trends 2025. Buried on page 33 was this tantalizing tidbit: “Crime could be the gravest threat inside Europe as Eurasian transnational organizations become more powerful and broaden their scope. One or more governments in Eastern or Central Europe could fall prey to their domination.” (Center for Public Integrity) |
EU strips millions from Bulgaria EU reports on Bulgaria & Romania EU subsidies 'looted' by Bulgarian mafia The morphing of organized crime Crime groups 'buy' politicians |
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DUBLIN - A luxury yacht packed with cocaine worth more than half a billion pounds was towed ashore under armed guard today after it was seized off the Irish coast (Guardian UK) |
How drug ship was tailed from Caribbean to Cork British criminals believed to be behind cocaine |
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The image of former Toronto resident has been splashed throughout the Italian media over the past 24 hours as American authorities announced one of the largest international drug busts in history. (Toronto Star) |
175 arrested in crackdown on Mexico's Gulf Cartel Scores held in global drug bust |
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LOS ANGELES - When the coroner put Jack Whalen's body on a slab, it measured 72 inches, just 6 feet. For years, people had described him as 6-foot-2 or 6-4. But "the Enforcer" was smaller in death than life. (Los Angeles Times) |
LA Gangsters Part 1 LA Gangsters Part 2 LA Gangsters Part 3 LA Gangsters Part 4 |
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Ex-Soviet crime ring in Toronto TORONTO - Crime rings of former Eastern European mobsters use Toronto as a base for local and international law-breaking, including kidnapping, extortion and identity theft, say organized crime experts. . (Toronto Star) |
Crime boss killed by drug gang DUBLIN - Murdered gangland figure Paddy Doyle was shot dead in Spain after falling foul of an international drugs gang. (Independent) PREVIOUS: Gang chief shot dead in Costa ambush |
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MONTREAL - Organized criminals in Canada are going green, turning to environmental crime as an increasingly lucrative way to raise money. A report released yesterday by Criminal Intelligence Service Canada says crime networks have developed underground markets for electronic waste and scarce natural resources. (CP) |
CSIS 2008 report on Organized Crime Police 'not on top of organized crime' BC gangs control meth sales, crime report says Information is crime's new opiate |
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VANCOUVER - Drug labs are becoming factories, according to RCMP Inspector Brian Cantera who says they're now being defined as "super labs". . (News 1130) |
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WASHINGTON - The US has placed a $100,000 bounty on the head of suspected Russian crime boss Semion Mogilevich, the alleged mastermind of the YBM Magnex scandal that defrauded investors in the Canadian company out of an estimated $650M and undermined confidence in Canadian stock markets. (National Post) Only criminals with any code of conduct are the Russian mafia |
Russian Mafia The Russian Mafia Russian banker's killer 'found' Putin to rescue Deripaska over $2.5B loan Russian Central Banker assassinated Dozens 'sickened' in Russian gas attack |
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There are ghosts among us, slaves who are invisible to most of us, including police. They are people who have been trafficked either into Canada or from some other part of Canada. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: Human trafficking Rise in human trafficking RCMP's human trafficking unit |
JOHANNESBURG - South African police are investigating an audacious raid on the Johannesburg High Court. An armed gang stole documents related to a number of high-profile organized crime cases. (BBC) PREVIOUS: Brickbats & bouquets for Shabangu Susan Shabangu 'Kill the bastards' |
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Feds bust pot ring on reservation SYRACUSE - A Canadian drug trafficking ring used the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in Upstate New York to smuggle more than 22,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States, state and federal authorities. (AP) MORE: US bust Canadian pot ring Police go to pot Raids on Mohawk reserves |
CHICAGO - Boris Stratievsky was "a professor" of money-laundering, washing millions of dollars for shadowy Moscow clients, his father said, according to one transcript of many conversations secretly recorded by the FBI. (Chicago Sun Times) |
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WINNIPEG - RCMP in Manitoba have arrested 16 people from British Columbia after raiding more than a dozen rural properties investigators said housed marijuana grow operations. RCMP executed search warrants on 13 properties Tuesday in rural areas around the province's capital region. (CBC) |
NY grand rabbi pleads not guilty LOS ANGELES - Naftali Tzi Weisz, 59, the Grand Rabbi of Spinka, and the others were arrested after an indictment was returned Dec. 18 accusing the group of 37 counts including conspiracy, mail fraud and money-laundering. (AP) PREVIOUS: Rabbi and associates charged Spinka financial controversy |
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ORILLIA, Ont. - Provincial police have now charged a total of 18 people in an ongoing investigation into an alleged international casino cheat team. (CP) |
VANCOUVER - About 3,700 kilograms of an illegal precursor chemical MDP2P used to make ecstasy was seized at the Port of Vancouver. (Vancouver Sun) |
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VANCOUVER - An Air Canada employee is at the centre of an international investigation after authorities at Vancouver International Airport seized a large quantity of cocaine before Christmas. . (Vancouver Province) |
VANCOUVER - The head of the RCMP's national drug branch is debunking claims by the United States' drug czar. (CP) PREVIOUS: Altered ecstasy from Canada flooding US Canadian made, meth-laced ecstasy being dumped into US |
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LONDON - The gold 'grains' - carefully wrapped in plastic and wedged inside travel luggage - were hidden inside a deposit box raided by the Metropolitan Police last week as part of a huge two-year investigation into the proceeds of organized crime. (Guardian UK) PREVIOUS: Brinks Mat robbery Police safety deposit box raids |
'Aladdin's cave of criminality' Serious Organized Crime Agency Battle to break Britain's crime lords Police chiefs 'rewarded for failure' |
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BERLIN - Once the work of South Americans and Africans, Germans are now serving as human couriers to smuggle cocaine into Europe inside their bodies.. (Spiegel) |
VANCOUVER - Inter Maritime looked just like any other nondescript company with an office on Howe St. in Vancouver's rough-and-tumble financial district in 2003. (Toronto Star) |
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WILLIAMS LAKE - Nine men - three of them brothers - are to appear in court charged with growing and trafficking pot after Mounties seized plants from 8 properties in Likely. (CanWest) |
VANCOUVER - Crime analysis shows marijuana grow operations are moving to bigger houses, hiding behind more bushes and growing more dope than ever. (Vancouver Province) |
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Gang targeted corrections officer TORONTO - A correctional services officer once honoured as a hero was the target of an alleged murder plot uncovered this week as Toronto police try to stop a notorious street gang in its tracks. (Toronto Star) Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) MS-13 seeks Toronto toehold Police arrest members of MS-13 Gangsters set up residence |
A Vancouver man has been charged with smuggling millions of dollars worth of marijuana stashed in snowmobiles, inflatable boats and travel trailers into Alaska. Special Agent Dan Wardlaw of the US Internal Revenue Service said 36-year-old David Knutson was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in Anchorage. (CanWest) |
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VANCOUVER - Jose Francisco Cardoza Quinteros, the self-admitted killer who said he was once a member of the notoriously brutal Mara Salvatrucha gang, has been deported from Canada. (Surrey Leader) |
Japanese, American gangsters latest deported Anti-gang head says progress is being made El Salvador too dangerous for admitted killer Refugee will await claim behind bars |
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LONDON - Naveen Sagar laundered drug money, orchestrated false defences and supplied bogus witnesses to help major criminals to evade justice. (Times online) MORE: Drug gang's solicitor is jailed |
MONTREAL - André Chartrand, of Prévost, was arrested yesterday as part of Operation Channel, a joint police investigation led by the RCMP. (Montreal Gazette) MORE: 28 suspects arrested |
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Border guard charged in drug bust VANCOUVER - Shortly after midnight Thursday, waiting police officers watched their target, a Canada border guard, wave two identical GMC suburbans past his post at the Pacific Highway Crossing. (Vancouver Sun) MORE: Border guard busted |
VANCOUVER - A Lower Mainland man who built secret compartments on contract for cross-border drug smugglers had his home raided by the RCMP, but the Mounties weren't able to find enough evidence to charge him. . (Vancouver Sun) |
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Drug rings becoming sophisticated OTTAWA - Organized crime is continuing to fuel the drug trade in Canada and a new report notes that criminal organizations are branching out and becoming more sophisticated. (CanWest) REPORT: Drug Situation Report 2006 Canada now a major producer of ecstasy: RCMP BC at hub of global drug trade Fast facts on BC drug trade Somali drug may fund terrorism |
Authorities can't get rid of poster boy VANCOUVER - Nok Souvannarath, a Laotian immigrant ordered deported a dozen years ago, is a poster boy for gangsters in the Lower Mainland. This 46-year-old has been convicted, imprisoned, ordered deported, denied his appeal and been charged again and again with drug and weapons offences. But he remains in Canada. (Vancouver Sun) |
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VANCOUVER - Purloined porn, a pop star and paparazzi made for pandemonium Monday at BC Supreme Court. Photographers, cameramen and reporters staked out both entrances to the downtown Vancouver facility to get a shot of Edison Chen, the Vancouver-born singer and fashion designer who is a sensation in Hong Kong. (Vancouver Province) |
Chen proposed marriage to avoid triad wrath |
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39 indicted for money laundering WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury in Baltimore has indicted 39 people in an international money laundering scheme using an informal currency transfer system known as hawala, the US Justice Department said on Thursday. (Reuters) |
WASHINGTON - Police in five countries have nabbed more than 77 people and seized about US$2.1 billion in counterfeit cheques bound for the United States in a sweeping crackdown that included an arrest in Canada. (AP) |
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Hundreds mourn Taiwan gang boss TAIPEI - The body of one of Taiwan's most infamous crime bosses, Chen Chi-li, has been flown back to Taipei, where hundreds attended a memorial service. Chen, a leading figure in the Bamboo Union, Taiwan's largest gang, died of cancer in Hong Kong earlier this month. (BBC) PREVIOUS: Triad society |
SAN BERNARDINO - Competing Canadian-based Asian organized crime syndicates are setting up elaborate marijuana grow-ops in Southern California selling highly potent “BC Bud” for up to $6,000 a pound. (Asian Pacific Post) PREVIOUS: Houses linked to Asian gangs San Bernardino Sun feature: Grass Valley |
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ICBC sues 95 accused in car thefts VANCOUVER - Ninety-five BC residents, including two young men awaiting trial for a gangland kidnapping, were sued by ICBC Friday in a massive fraud case involving more than $1.2 million worth of stolen vehicles. (Vancouver Sun) |
Stolen designer clothing found BASSANO, AB - Mounties aren't ruling out that organized crime may be behind the bust of a Bassano shop caught selling $1-million worth of designer clothing stolen from Calgary. (Calgary Herald) |
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'BC Bud violence arrives in Everett EVERETT - When Everett detectives in July found two people shot to death and more than 1,000 marijuana plants growing in two south Everett houses, experts say they also uncovered evidence of a disturbing trend. The same organized criminals responsible for Canada's multibillion-dollar "BC Bud" marijuana industry appear to be moving into the neighborhood. (Seattle PI) |
TORONTO - Answers to a crime that shocked and mystified Toronto for almost 15 years - when bold, professional killers literally shot their way into a suburban warehouse and executed two workers - have finally been revealed in New York, as two Chinese crime bosses now face life in prison for arranging the massacre. (National Post) |
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SYDNEY - Two men have appeared in a Sydney court charged with attempting to smuggle 16kg of the illicit drug ice into Australia hidden in two marble tables. The men, 23-year-old Hong Kong citizen Tsz Shing Law and 25-year-old Canadian national Matthew Gar-Wei Tam, did not apply for bail, which was formally refused in Parramatta Local Court today. (SMH) MORE: Vancouver man in jail after drug bust in Australia |
ABBOTSFORD - A man ordered deported 12 years ago was on $50,000 bail when he appeared in court this week on weapons charges and was again released on bail. Attorney-General Wally Oppal said yesterday the Crown will consider appealing this week's ruling to free Nok Souvannarath on $1,000 bail. (Vancouver Province) PREVIOUS: Deportee gets bail on drugs, gun charges |
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$2 trillion threat to world security International organized crime has become a $2 trillion behemoth that threatens to pervert democracy around the world and fuel already dangerous levels of global inequality, a new study warns. (Guardian UK) PREVIOUS: 2007 State of the Future |
GUINEA-BISSAU - The roads outside the X Club nightspot in Bissau, capital of the world's fifth poorest country, are cracked and pot-holed. They have not been repaired since they were torn up by the tracks of military vehicles during Guinea-Bissau's civil war of the late 1990s. (Guardian UK) PREVIOUS: New front in drugs war |
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New York blows away the competition Researchers have been scouring rivers in Europe and the US for traces of cocaine consumption. The result: Cocaine use is probably much greater than previously assumed - and New Yorkers are the biggest coke-heads of all. (Spiegel) |
Steep rise in Europe cocaine use 2007 state of the drugs problem in Europe The Thames: awash with cocaine Italian river 'full of cocaine' Cocaine in surface waters: a new evidence based tool to monitor community drug abuse |
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VANCOUVER - A year ago, police heading a probe into an international drug ring bragged they had "chopped the head off the snake" when they arrested Vancouver resident Yong Long Ye. (Vancouver Sun) |
Police sought to freeze suspect's property 'We've chopped the head off the snake' Police 'chop head off' alleged drug ring |
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4 men found guilty on drug counts KAMLOOPS - Four men who were stopped three years ago on the Trans-Canada Highway with a U-Haul truck full of pot and magic mushrooms were convicted this week in BC Supreme Court. (Vancouver Sun) |
OROVILLE, Wash. - Border patrol officers on Friday stopped a semi truck at the Highway 97 border crossing from Canada and found more than 180 pounds of ecstasy hidden near the rear doors of the truck's trailer. (KOMO) |
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Conditional sentences after plea WINNIPEG - Two accomplices of criminal mastermind Gerald Daniel Blanchard have been sentenced after pleading guilty. Dale Fedoruk, 36, of Winnipeg, and Angela James, 22, of Edmonton, both got two-year conditional sentences on Monday after pleading guilty to fraud charges. (Winnipeg Free Post) |
Crime ring boss to plead guilty to theft Accused mastermind's lair raided |
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If you ask the average person about organized crime, most people will mention mobsters and biker gangs. As officers who confront these issues day in and day out, these views do not reflect the reality of organized crime in Canada today. (CNW Telbec) |
Police reveal extent of organized crime's long reach |
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Canada Revenue fines drug dealer EDMONTON - A 58-year-old man was fined $96,000 Tuesday by the Canada Revenue Agency for not reporting the money he made dealing drugs. The former Yellowknife bar owner didn't report $400,000, which he made through drug trafficking in 2004 and 2005. (Edmonton Journal) PREVIOUS: Drug dealer gets six years |
4 Aryan Brotherhood leaders convicted SANTA ANA - A jury convicted four leaders of a white-supremacist prison gang on charges they used murder and intimidation to protect their drug-dealing operations behind bars.. (CBS/AP) PREVIOUS: Aryan Brotherhood Gang and security threat group awareness |
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DETROIT - Terry Flenory, 37, originally from Detroit, pleaded guilty to operating a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiring to launder money. Under a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Flenory is facing 30 years to life in prison at sentencing early next year. He also agreed to forfeit to the government $270-million in drug proceeds, three homes, including one on Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles, and diamond-studded jewellery. (Detroit Free Press) ' |
Black Mafia' leader pleads guilty DEA deals Motor City Mafia a knock out blow Hip-Hop's jeweler on the rocks |
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Death of innocents lead to LA gang crackdown LOS ANGELES - However, the effort has met skepticism in the city that has an estimated 700 gangs with 40,000 members - about four for every police officer - and that gave birth to some of the nation's most notorious gangs, including the Crips, Bloods and Mara Salvatrucha. (AP) PREVIOUS: Blood gangs in LA county Crip gangs in LA county Gauging the Gangs |
White supremacist gang gains clout BUENA PARK, Calif. - The white supremacist gang Public Enemy No. 1 began two decades ago as a group of teenage punk-rock fans from upper-middle class bedroom communities in Southern California. Now, the violent gang that deals in drugs, guns and identity theft is gaining clout across the West after forging an alliance with the notorious Aryan Brotherhood, authorities say. (AP) |
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BC holds a prominent place in the organized crime world, according to a recent report that says the number of gangs in Canada is on the rise. The report identifies BC as a "hub" for organized crime group activity, such as drug production and distribution. (Vancouver Province) CISC: Annual report 2007 |
Botched kidnap plots nets jail time Credit card fraud charges follow raid |
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Snitch and Die: A Philadelphia Crime Tradition PHILADELPHIA - In 2006 Philadelphia became the top spot for murder among America’s ten largest cities. Victims numbered 406. The majority were inner city residents. Among the dead were drug turf rivals, innocents caught in the crossfire, and witnesses who made the mistake of talking. Witness intimidation of the fatal variety is big in Philly. It’s why many murders go unsolved, or can’t be prosecuted.. (BNN) |
WANGANUI, NZ - A further nine men have appeared in court this afternoon, charged with the murder of Wanganui toddler Jhia Te Tua, after police raided a number of gang properties early today. Jhia was killed after Mongrel Mob members shot at the suburban Gonville house in Wanganui where she was living with her mother and Black Power member father on May 5. (Stuff.co.nz) MORE: 12th suspect in Jhia murder inquiry in court |
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Raided massage parlours back in business VANCOUVER - Police carried out a series of raids on 18 Vancouver-area massage parlours on Thursday and made 108 arrests, but many of those businesses were open for business as usual on Saturday. (CTV) PREVIOUS: 18 massage parlours raided, 100 arrested 108 arrested in BC massage parlour raids Super Creep: He hunts for innocents |
Cocaine bust in US leads to gun seizure in BC VANCOUVER - American officials arrested BC union leader Perley Holmes in Washington state just south of Grand Forks, BC, alleging he was trying to smuggle 61 kilograms of cocaine back into Canada. (CBC) PREVIOUS: Ironworkers' business manager faces drug charges Union official arrested in coke bust Canadian labor leader arrested in cocaine smuggling case |
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Macau may have dethroned the Las Vegas Strip as the world's biggest casino center, according to figures available Wednesday that show the Chinese territory's gambling revenue jumped 22 percent to $6.95 billion last year. (AP) |
The dark side of China's Las Vegas MGM casino probe could ripple in Atlantic City Nevada regulators approve MGM-Ho alliance in Macau casino venture |
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SEATTLE - Nine people were charged Thursday with taking part in a human-trafficking ring that smuggled scores of Asian women into the Northwest and forced them into prostitution to pay for their trips to the United States. (Seattle PI) MORE: 9 arrested in alleged cross-border sex-trade ring |
BC bust reveals crime syndicate VANCOUVER - RCMP say they've stumbled onto a major family run Asian crime syndicate and a huge stash of a dangerous party drugs in Richmond, BC, after a tip came in about a marijuana growing operation. (CanWest) PREVIOUS: Kwok Tam's 1998 arrest is a different picture |
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NEW YORK - A $1 million-a-year Bronx drug ring that shipped heroin in a Sing With Elmo doll box was busted yesterday, authorities said. Seventeen suspected dealers were arrested after cops intercepted the smack in the toy box last week, as well as two other shipments of cocaine and marijuana. (NY Daily News) |
OTTAWA - The number of synthetic drug samples submitted to Health Canada by police for analysis has skyrocketed 650 per cent over five years, internal government briefings show, suggesting production of highly addictive narcotics such as crystal methamphetamine continues to thrive here. (CanWest) |
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Cockle gangmaster jailed for 14 years LANCASHIRE - The gangmaster who caused the deaths of 21 Chinese cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay has been jailed for 14 years at Preston Crown Court. (Telegraph) PREVIOUS: Man guilty of 21 cockling deaths |
Gangs claim their turf in Iraq The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords were born decades ago in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods. Now, their gang graffiti is showing up 6,400 miles away in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods -- Iraq. (Chicago Sun-Times) |
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TORONTO - Toronto police have accused one of their own officers of helping an Eastern European organized crime group charged with importing and exporting marijuana and cocaine between Canada and the US. (CanWest) |
Police officer charged in drug raid Drugs and human trafficking fuel organized crime |
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Russian mob blamed for sex charges against envoy OTTAWA - The Russian mafia in Canada is behind allegations a former Russian diplomat drugged and sexually assaulted two men, an embassy spokesman charged yesterday. (Ottawa Citizen) MORE: Ex-diplomat charged with sex assaults |
Gift cards just the ticket for organized crime OTTAWA - Those gift cards that countless Boxing Day shoppers will be cashing in today are also landing under the Christmas trees of organized-crime groups, who use them as ``virtual currency'' for drug deals and money laundering, according to the RCMP. (CanWest) |
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BELLINGHAM - An unprecedented two-year U.S.-Canada investigation into cross-border smuggling using helicopters and planes has led to 46 arrests in both countries and the seizure of three aircraft, more than 3,600 kilograms of marijuana and another 800 kilograms of cocaine, plus more than $1.5 million US. (Vancouver Sun) |
Wanted: $300,000 Ferrari leased by drug suspect |
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Charges dropped in multi-million dope smuggling case UCLUELET, BC - All charges have been dropped against five men arrested aboard a fishing boat the RCMP said was attempting to import $6.5M in marijuana to BC. (Vancouver Sun) |
It's time to account for drugs busts that are busts Fishboat was carrying cargo of pot |
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Drug traffickers find haven in shadows of Indian Country ST. REGIS MOHAWK RESERVATION, NY - He had eluded the authorities for years. Witnesses against him had mysteriously disappeared. Shots were fired from his highly secured compound here last year when the state police tried to close in. (New York Times) MORE: Dizzying rise and abrupt fall for a reservation drug dealer |
SEATTLE - A defense expert and the attorneys for two men facing federal drug charges in Tacoma are crying foul over efforts by federal prosecutors and officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to have the gold-capped teeth - commonly called "grills" or "grillz" - removed from their clients' mouths. (Seattle Times) |
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Spy's murder is 'threat to Ulster' LONDON - The Northern Ireland peace process was thrown into disarray last night when British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted there would be serious implications if the IRA was responsible for the murder of British agent Denis Donaldson. (The Telegraph) |
Lonely, frightened life of outed spy Sinn Fein British agent shot dead Murder inquiry opens after gangland shooting Home of IRA's alleged chief raided |
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Van Quyen Ken Tang, 41, is charged with attempting to possess commercial quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and ecstasy. (Vancouver Province) |
Brutal murder a twisted tale of revenge Firefighter linked to drug syndicate |
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Pot-smuggling tunnellers handed 9 years in jail VANCOUVER - Three BC men who dug a drug-smuggling tunnel under the US-Canada border were sentenced Friday to nine years in jail in U.S. District Court in Seattle. CanWest) |
Canadians get 9 years in 'BC Bud' tunnel case 400-foot tunnel 'beats them all' Tunnel Found on Mexican Border |
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S Korea not willing to back US SEOUL - This is the picture of North Korea that former US officials and analysts say Washington has pieced together in recent years as it has investigated the appearance around the world of bogus US$100 bills so perfect that they have been called "supernotes." (Taipei Times) PREVIOUS: Asian money laundering finances terrorism |
Woman 'tricked' into sex slavery VANCOUVER - A young Chinese woman allegedly forced into prostitution by the operator of a Kingsway massage parlour wept bitterly Wednesday when she remembered the day in 2002 when she first realized she had been tricked into a life of sexual slavery. (Vancouver Sun) MORE: Grim testimony at human trafficking trial |
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Lai tired by long legal battle VANCOUVER - The alleged smuggling kingpin said he has grown tired of the long-running legal fight, but remains confident he will eventually be allowed to remain in Canada - where he fled with his family in 1999. Lai has been denied political asylum in Canada and was on the verge of being deported to China earlier this year when a court ruled that Canadian officials had not properly reviewed claims he would be killed or tortured if sent back. (Reuters) |
Chinese smuggling kingpin wins Chinese fugitive ordered freed from detention Chinese fugitive loses bid for appeal on status Chinese fugitive fights to stay in Canada Refugee process abused by criminals |
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BANGKOK - Surrounded by a team of Thai officials, financial fugitive Rakesh Saxena arrived back in Thailand from Vancouver and was handed over to police. (Vancouver Sun) |
BC Court of Appeals orders another hearing China eyes its cards in BC murder case Canada 'slow' in giving up fugitives Somalia too deadly for violent inmate Subhash Agrawal Gloria & Faustino Chingkoe Raul Monter Ortega Rodolfo Pacificador Rakesh Saxena Rakesh Saxena |
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TACOMA - A Canadian US army soldier behind a $54,000 bank heist in Tacoma, Wash., in 2006 will receive 24 years in prison under a plea agreement. Luke Elliott Sommer, 21, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, brandishing a firearm and possession of a hand grenade. (Vancouver Province) |
Ranger's defense: If I did it, it was political No evidence found of war crimes Pentagon says BC man robbed bank to start gang: FBI 5th Ranger arrested in bank heist Tacoma bank robbed to start a BC crime family Canadian 4th suspect in Tacoma bank heist |
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Proceeds hidden in horse trailer COUTTS - An Ontario man has been accused of trying to smuggle more than $477,000 US hidden inside a horse trailer across the border from Montana into Alberta. (CBC) Abbotsford a hotbed of trafficking Olympian charged in cocaine conspiracy |
Alleged trafficking ring walks |
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Heroin haul likely Vancouver bound X-ray of shoe leads to record heroin bust Border guards' image takes blow Customs officer in drug ring bust 4 years for marijuana trafficking Calgary pilot involved in $30-million cocaine bust |
Cocaine found in commercial truck Abductees tied to missing cash Police sniff out major pot ring |
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Largest cocaine bust in AB history Quebec man alleged boss of $1B drug operation DEA: International drug ring charged Drugs found in hot sauce shipment Etobicoke drug bust nets $40M in cocaine RCMP investigating Vancouver airport company |
RCMP dismantles Quebec based cocaine rings Cocaine ring smuggled drugs via 'torpedo' More than 130 arrested in Quebec |
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Organized crime not ethnic problem TORONTO - "There is a perception that some of the ethnic communities are responsible for organized crime. This is not the case. (York Region) |
Alleged crime-op king faces charges VANCOUVER - A Langley man accused of leading Dark Alley is one of the first people in BC to stand trial for heading organized crime. (Langley Advance) |
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MONTREAL - It was a truly Canadian operation but, alas, it was also illegal. Police swept down on farms, factories and offices across the country yesterday, rounding up 32 suspects in a huge contraband tobacco network. (The Gazette) |
Crackdown on contraband tobacco Police bust nation-wide tobacco ring |
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More tools sought to stop gang violence WASHINGTON - The recent federal conviction of two Virginia gang members in the murder of a four-months-pregnant teenager could result in the death penalty if prosecutors have their way. (Fox)PREVIOUS: House passes bill to make gang crimes Federal offences Rise in gangs creates bitter debate How our SUVs end up in Ghana |
Biggest of the 'Wheels' pleads guilty, gets four years in jail VANCOUVER - Christien (Chris) Cameron, 28, the ring leader of a dial-a-dope scheme that operated in South Delta for at least a year has pleaded guilty to two counts of cocaine trafficking. The remaining charges were stayed. (Delta Optimist) PREVIOUS: Organized crime link to bust Six arrested through 'Big Wheels' |
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Michael Medjuck, 55, was one of four Canadians arrested near Barcelona on Oct. 6, after a five-month investigation involving law enforcement agencies from Spain, the U.S., and Canada. (Langley Advance) PREVIOUS: USA vs Michael Medjuck US, Spain and Canada bust drug smuggling gang Two NV men arrested in high-seas bust BC yacht in 1.5 tonne coke bust |
BARRIE - Two buildings where massive indoor marijuana grow operations were discovered during raids last weekend are owned by real estate magnate Vince De Rosa, police confirmed yesterday. (The Star) PREVIOUS: Hugh pot factory was one strange joint Police say $30M in pot seized Major pot bust in abandoned Ontario brewery |
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100 grow-op houses unearthed in mortgage-scam probe VANCOUVER - Up to 100 large-scale marijuana growing operations have been found in Lower Mainland houses identified by government regulators as part of an elaborate scheme to get mortgages by using false employment records and banking documents. (Vancouver Sun) |
Arrest of money launderer was 'a real coup' for officers VANCOUVER - For RCMP officers Bill Majcher and Mike Arnold, who combine 30 years of police service - much of it undercover -- the bust of former Vancouver lawyer Martin Chambers was the "number one" accomplishment in their careers. (Vancouver Sun) |
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Cross-border human smugglers nabbed PEACE ARCH - Two parallel investigations north and south of the U.S. border have resulted in indictments against 14 men accused of smuggling people into the U.S. (National Post) Authorities bust cross-border smuggling ring Ring smuggling illegals from South Asia halted |
15 days in a metal box, only to be locked up 22 stowaways nabbed at Port of Seattle Golden venture big sails off to jail New route for Chinese to get fake UK visas 'Crime network' targeted by simultaneous raids Seattle labelled 'hot spot' for human cargo Alleged 'snakehead' boss on trial Alleged Golden Venture mastermind pleads |
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