NCJ Number
202192
Date Published
July 2003
Length
50 pages
Annotation
This study explored the scope of Asian organized crime and terrorist activity in Canada over the period 1999 to 2002, including the extent of cooperation and possible overlap between criminal and terrorist activities in that country.
Abstract
The study focused on those Asian organized crime syndicates that impact the United States through Canada, notably, crime groups trafficking heroin from Southeast Asia, groups involved in the trafficking of women, and groups that commit financial crimes against U.S. interests. The terrorist organizations examined also pose threats to U.S. interests. Sources for this research were the various holdings of the U.S. Library of Congress, the Open Source Information System (OSIS), other press accounts, and various studies produced by scholars and organizations. Numerous online research services were also used, including those of nongovernmental organizations and international organizations. The study found that although many Asian organized crime syndicates in Canada exaggerate their links to traditional triads in order to inspire fear, non-triad organizations constitute the majority of Asian organized crime groups in Canada. These groups often consist of business entrepreneurs who may use triad members to better pursue illicit activities. The Big Circle Boys gang has had the greatest expansion in Canada since it was first identified in the late 1980's. Through cells located in cities throughout North America and a willingness to cooperate with ethnically diverse groups, this gang has become extensively involved in the Southeast Asian heroin trade; it is also responsible for a high percentage of the counterfeit credit cards in North America. The 14K triad is the fastest growing criminal group in Canada, and it is also present in New York City and other U.S. cities. Vietnamese organized crime groups in Canada are expanding rapidly, and their expertise is in high-technology crimes and trafficking in women. Their networking activities hold the potential for such groups to become more formal and structured. The extent to which Canada is the base for terrorist sleeper cells capable of attacks against North American targets remains undetermined. Research from 1999 onward has revealed numerous accounts of individuals who have links to terrorist organizations and who may have been in the process of orchestrating terrorist attacks. Greater security measures adopted since September 11 have resulted in a number of arrests over the past 4 years. Although terrorist organizations use some of the same techniques for generating revenue as organized crime groups, open-source research has not found many examples of cooperation between these two types of groups. Faced with the likely spread of Asian organized crime groups and given the lengthy and porous Canadian-U.S. border as well as permissive immigration laws, Canada will continue to be an ideal transit point for crime groups and terrorist groups to commit crimes in the United States. The new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which took effect in June 2002, may address some of the issues regarding immigration to Canada. 93 references