Organized Crime in Canada: Identity Theft, Trafficking & Drugs

Introduction to Organized Crime in Canada

Each year, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) produces an organized crime report to inform the public about organized crime activities and markets in Canada. The nature of such activity is constantly evolving — new threats, participants, and policies emerge each year (McIntosh, 2010). It is critical that Canadians are informed of the nature and scope of such activity, governmental interventions and policing strategies, and what they can personally do to thwart organized crime (CISC, 2010).

Section 467.1 of the Criminal Code, as applied by the CISC, defines criminal organizations as those consisting of three or more persons within Canada or in outlying areas that exist solely to commit serious offenses resulting in material or financial benefit to their members (Tusikov, 2009). Random criminal rings that form for a single offense are not included; rather, the CISC is most concerned with systemic, organized units conducting continued and premeditated illegal acts. This paper focuses on three major criminal activities — identity theft, migrant smuggling and human trafficking, and illicit drugs — and the steps that law enforcement has taken in recent years to ensure the safety of the Canadian public.

Identity Theft

As early as 2005, Canada began to see dramatic increases in incidents of compromised personal information (Katz, 2011). Security in this area is now a major political and personal issue and has resulted in greater governmental pressure to protect the public from such threats. Identity theft and identity fraud were the 2008 Feature Focus of the CISC organized crime report. That same year, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) launched a massive campaign to alert the public to taxpayer scams using phishing emails and postal letters fraudulently requesting personal information on behalf of the CRA (Curry & Mongrain, 2009). In addition, 2008 saw some of its highest recorded instances of organized crime rings leveraging technology to commit deceptive acts and steal consumer information. Methods ranged from malicious Trojan computer viruses to wireless credit card scanners used outside retail establishments. Many organized units also turned to technology to facilitate communication between individuals and groups, often using disposable cellular devices that are untraceable in most instances (CISC, 2007).

In 2008, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre (CAFCC) reported over 10,000 identity theft and identity fraud complaints resulting in losses exceeding $6 million (Lampe, 2008). Canadians aged 35 to 54 are the primary targets, with credit or debit card information being compromised in most cases. By 2009, identity theft had become even more widespread. Forged birth records, Social Insurance Number (SIN) cards, health cards, driver's licenses, and passports represent very profitable opportunities for criminal groups (CISC, 2009). Many organized crime groups have become specialists in the creation of false identifications, a tactic that typically involves stealing the identity of an unsuspecting person — children and the deceased are particularly vulnerable. Online access to personal information through the hacking of banking computer systems has further aided criminals. To complicate matters, organized criminal groups often use false identifications themselves, making it harder for law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend them.

Efforts by law enforcement to stop such activities include more stringent security guidelines for financial institutions operating online systems and the introduction of electronic chips in passports (Katz, 2011). The most effective anti-identity theft strategy, however, has taken the form of public awareness campaigns that teach citizens how to protect themselves. Actions such as protecting account passwords, shredding personal mail and receipts, and exercising caution when responding to requests for personal information have proven effective at limiting organized groups' access to information that can be stolen and exploited for criminal activity.

Each year, adults and children are illegally smuggled into Canada. Migrant smuggling typically involves the consent of non-citizens who seek assistance in bypassing Canadian immigration laws and processes (CISC, 2007). Participants often pay organized crime groups for false documentation. In other instances, criminal units act as service providers, arranging quiet passage that sidesteps governmental immigration checks entirely. In some cases, individuals who enter illegally have committed serious crimes in their native countries and may pose a potential threat to public safety. Another concern is that governmental funds used to locate, arrest, prosecute, and repatriate illegal migrants divert resources from other needed Canadian public services and programs (CISC, 2010).

Migrant Smuggling and Human Trafficking

In the case of human trafficking, the impact is even more serious. Most victims are women and minors who have no power or voice in the matter. They are often forced into the sex trade by organized crime units. In exchange for food, housing, or freedom from manufactured debts, victims are exploited and frequently endure horrific situations including violence, rape, starvation, torture, domestic servitude, or even death (Curry & Mongrain, 2009). Many are forced to take illegal drugs and develop addictions that make escape virtually impossible. The sexually transmitted diseases acquired and spread in these circumstances also present serious public health risks.

Studies conducted in 2007 and 2008 reveal that the movement of illegal migrants and trafficking victims encompasses several transit points in Canada, the United States, and other nations (Tusikov, 2009). Much of the activity in Canada has been found to take place in British Columbia, Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario, and Quebec. According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, nearly 800 women and children are trafficked into Canada annually (Katz, 2011). Most enter Canada from Asia — including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea — or Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Russia. A newer trend involves the trafficking of young girls from Africa and the Caribbean. In addition, many street gangs are involved in local human trafficking, exploiting poor Aboriginal and Canadian-born females and facilitating their movement throughout the country or introduction into the pornography industry and strip bar establishments (CISC, 2008).

Canadian law officials have responded to the problem by cracking down on pedophiles and those who actively patronize the commercial sex market, creating sting and covert operations to make arrests (CISC, 2010). Perpetrators come from many different demographics — married and single, older and younger, across varying socio-economic and racial backgrounds — which makes targeting more difficult. Nevertheless, the overarching goal is to curb market demand for the sex trade.

Law enforcement agencies have introduced better tools to combat trafficking, including upgrading the National Sex Offender Registry in 2010 and enforcing tougher laws that address the use of technology in trafficking operations — such as child pornography, sex sites, and webcam operations used by organized crime rings (Katz, 2011). There is an identified need for more specialized officers, social workers, and agencies that focus on the sex trafficking of children and on assisting victims who are rescued (CISC, 2010). Unfortunately, as of 2011 no national plan of action had been solidified to support these efforts (Katz, 2011). Most strategic measures have been local; however, Canada is working with other governing bodies and international organizations to improve investigations, prosecutions, and convictions in migrant smuggling and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, as the two crimes frequently intersect.

Conclusion

It is clear that organized crime units will continue to attempt to stay one step ahead of the Canadian government in order to profit from their criminal activities and the buying and selling of illegal substances. Migrant smuggling and human trafficking, identity theft, and illegal drug trafficking are only three of the major issues that agencies are working to eradicate. This will not be an easy undertaking, nor one accomplished overnight. Organized crime groups will always work to adjust their production and distribution methods to elude law enforcement and meet domestic and international demand in order to maintain the flow of illicit profits.