(This
column was published in the
North
Shore News
on
Dec. 29, 1999)
Biggest 21st century threat: organized crime
By Leo Knight
AS
we perch on the precipice of a new century, it's important to
look back at what defined the past hundred years and project
ahead at what will, probably, define the coming hundred ye
The
20th century was marked by three important things: the rise and
fall of communism, marked by the Cold War; two bloody and deadly
world wars; and an increase in technological advancement, the
like of which may never again be seen by mankind.
It's
the latter that requires us to pay the most attention.
Much
time has been devoted in this space to bringing you the reality
of organized crime in this country and how it affects each of
you.
Successive
governments in this country have done their best to ignore the
problem while trying to convince you, the voter, that they have
a handle on the problem.
The
examples of what I say are all around you every day in whatever
journal you choose to browse with your toast and coffee.
The
case of accused terrorist Ahmed Ressam is a timely and
nationally embarrassing example.
We
have, to put it mildly, become an international joke. As law
enforcement agencies around the U.S.A. spring into high gear to
try to determine the potential damage Ressam and his cohorts are
planning, Canadian officials are busy trying to escape the blame
for the potential carnage.
Two
federal cabinet ministers last week bravely went to the national
media saying our sovereignty is inherently safe and the laws are
sufficient to deal with the problem.
Quite
apart from the inherent dishonesty of their remarks, the
stupidity they seem to attach to the public at large is
insulting.
Our
justice system is in disarray if not collapse. The manner in
which we handle refugee claims has made Canada the joke of the
western world and the target of organized crime and
international terrorist groups seeking entry into the U.S.
The
inherent problem is easily defined but not so easily corrected.
The
forces of organized crime are raking in huge profits from their
endeavours. The police, for their part, are having to do with
less, constantly seeking new and more creative ways to stretch a
dollar. Not because the money isn't there, but because the
various governments who supply the budgets can't, or perhaps
won't, allocate appropriate resources.
Outlaw
motorcycle gangs are a clear example of organized crime. In
B.C., the Hells Angels have about 90 colour-wearing members.
Their
profits from various illegal enterprises are astronomical. To
take down one Hells Angel and his criminal operations requires a
one- to two-year investigation with full resources including
surveillance teams, wiretaps and a host of support.
The cost for all this is between one and two million dollars. This is just for the investigative process. The cost of the subsequent trial is more.
The
Angels, for their part, know the odds are in their favour. But
even at that, they spend a great deal of money and effort to
protect themselves even further. They have an organizational
"intranet" for internal communications to eliminate
traditional communications such as telephones which might be
monitored by investigating police. And they have over a hundred
chapters around the world.
This
is not to say that governments throwing money at the problem
will solve anything. That's too typical of an ineffective
governmental solution. Without an effective organized response
to the problem in policy, structure and inter-provincial and
international cooperation, no amount of money will help.
Organized
crime recognizes no borders. Technology has made it possible to
shift money around the world with a few keystrokes.
North
America is the largest market for illegal drugs in the world. By
a long shot.
The
illicit drug trade here makes up a little over 2% of the GNP.
And it is growing daily. In generating the huge profits the bad
guys need to find new and creative ways to launder their money.
Perhaps
like no other business, organized crime requires cash flow and
reinvestment to survive.
The
key to shutting down the criminals is to attack the cash.
Unfortunately, not enough is being done.
The
United Nations once tried to make money laundering an
internationally extraditable offence. Less than half the member
nations agreed.
If,
for example, our governments made a law requiring lawyers,
bankers and accountants to provide the identity of the owner of
the money they are handling before the transaction is made, it
would radically affect the amount of money available to the
criminals and thus their ability to operate.
If
the threat of nuclear war was the defining point of the 20th
century, then organized crime is poised to be the defining
point, or threat, of the 21st century.
We
can no longer afford to ignore transnational organized crime.
OCA and its $13.5 million budget is merely an attempt to provide
a parochial solution to an international problem.
Happy
New Year.
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