Police Chiefs: Why You May Unknowingly Be Supporting Organized Crime

Take a look in the mirror – do you see anyone who reminds you of a crime kingpin? You may not recognize yourself. But if you’ve ever purchased an illegal DVD, bought a pack of cheap cigarettes or scored some marijuana for personal use, you’re part of the problem. At least according to a new report from the Ontario Association of Police Chiefs. The forces’ finest from throughout the province maintain those are all ways organized crime makes its money, relying on a public that doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a bargain.

“They need to understand that when they purchase drugs or purchase contraband material or cheap auto parts or when they engage in insurance fraud, they are supporting organized crime in this province,” chastizes Toronto Chief Bill Blair.

When many people think of organized crime, their first thoughts are of the Sopranos or the Godfather. But that’s not the reality detailed in  “Out of The Shadows: An Overview of Organized Crime in Ontario.” It contends money is still the number one motivator for these criminals, but power is a close second. And both are influencing lesser thugs, like street and motorcycle gangs. 

Cops say the bulk of it is still bound up in the lucrative drug trade, with the increasing presence of marijuana grow ops in so-called ‘safe’ communities the most obvious sign. But there’s been also been an alarming “resurgence” of another high in the province. ” Crack cocaine is prevalent in nearly every region across Ontario and police province-wide attribute a good deal of street-level crime – break and enters, robberies, assaults, etc. – to the consumption and sale of this drug,” the study concludes. 

Crystal meth is also growing, and while police don’t think it’s as big a concern here as it is in the U.S., they warn, we’re on the “brink” of a major problem. Methamphetamine “appears to be increasingly prevalent in Ontario,” the Chiefs note. “Production is reported to be on the rise … and demand … appears to be increasing.”

Also of concern: a rise in illegal guns, primarily being brought in by street gangs; so-called “E” crime, ranging from  phishing schemes to identity theft; a rise in fraud scams, like real estate rip-offs and phony ‘you have just won a vacation’ schemes; movie and music piracy; tobacco smuggling and cargo, vehicle and passport thefts.

But of all the dirty deeds being practiced by these crime kingpins, none may be quite so odious or hidden as this: human trafficking. The Chiefs’ Association claims the problem is a lot more widespread than the public realizes.

“Ontario is home to organized crime groups who profit from the huge global marketing in trafficking human beings, and to its victims,” they warn. “Victims may be either forcefully taken from their homes and countries, willingly recruited for a false purpose, or believe they are purchasing transport overseas, only to find themselves confined and abused.  They are told they owe a debt to their captors for … travel costs, documents, room and board and are held until the debt is repaid. These ‘debts’ can range into the tens of thousands of dollars and grow daily with fees charged by their captors.”

So what’s the answer? The cops conclude there are two solutions – them and you. Good police work will help to expose these crooks. But the fear of retaliation and the “stop snitching” code is getting in their way. And so is the practice of people buying illegal items. “Street level crime is often connected, at some level, to organized crime,” they conclude. “Knowledge about a street level drug deal, for instance, can ultimately help law enforcement identify the upper echelons of a criminal organization responsible for the production, importation and/or distribution of that drug.”

Read the entire report, along with suggestions of what you can do to stop the criminals. (.pdf file)

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