Organized Crime
The UN Security Council has been urged by U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken to authorize deployment of a Kenya-led security mission to Haiti. He has also promised “robust financial and logistical assistance” for a campaign to address ongoing gang violence which has paralyzed Haiti for more than two years. [node:read-more:link]
Raouf Farrah, a Canadian who studies North African and Sahel migration and criminal economies for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, has been sentenced to two years in prison after a one-day trial in Algeria. He is alleged to have published secret information while being paid to commit offences against public order, but the Geneva-based GIATOC says the charges are without merit. [node:read-more:link]
The U.S. FBI and its European partners infiltrated and shut down a major global malware network used for more than 15 years to commit a gamut of online crimes. Some 40 ransomware attacks in one 18-month period had netted the Qakbot controllers approximately US$58 million. [node:read-more:link]
The Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed that arrests warrants have been issued for 300 foreign criminals deemed a danger to the public and facing deportation. It also is trying to find more than 37,000 foreigners who may pose a flight risk, may not agree to be questioned or attend an immigration hearing. [node:read-more:link]
The Communications Security Establishment has singled out Russia and Iran as cybercrime safe havens where criminals can operate with impunity against foreign targets. It says in a new report today that this poses a threat to Canada’s national security and economic prosperity over the next two years. [node:read-more:link]
Personal records of more than 1.4 million Albertans were cyberattacked through a company’s IT system in July. Alberta Dental Service Corporation confirmed that a “third party” was able to obtain names, addresses and potentially banking information and that some health providers’ corporation information appeared to be affected too. [node:read-more:link]
Simranjit (Shally) Singh, 41, an Indian national from Brampton arrested in 2022, has pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in Albany, New York, to human smuggling as part of a network which enabled Indian migrants to cross the border. Sentencing is scheduled for December. [node:read-more:link]
Two Montreal men extradited to the U.S. in 2021 have been sent to prison for their involvement in an international scheme to distribute fentanyl and other synthetic opioids throughout the U.S., all orchestrated from inside a Quebec prison. The pair, Xuan Cahn Nguyen, 43, and Marie Um, 42, pleaded guilty in 2022. [node:read-more:link]
An Ottawa man identified as Alaa Hattab, 34, is one of five men charged in U.S. Federal Court in New Jersey with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obstruct justice in connection with a “Ponzi-like scheme” run by Eliyahu Weinstein, who was pardoned two years ago by President Donald Trump after being convicted of similar offences. Two others are New Jersey residents and the fifth lives in Israel. [node:read-more:link]
Spain’s highest court, today ordered that Hugo Carvajal, a former head of Venezuelan military intelligence, be extradited to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges dating to 2011. Carjaval fled to Spain via the Dominican Republic in March 2019 after he was fired by President Nicolás Maduro for supporting a political opponent. [node:read-more:link]
Premier Danielle Smith said today that her province will not implement a “safe supply” approach to its opioid crisis. Calling British Columbia’s approach ineffective, she said "the solution is to get people off of opioids to get their lives back.” [node:read-more:link]
The UN says cocaine demand and supply are booming and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets. In annual report released June 25, it says the number of people taking drugs rose by 23% to 296 million in 2021, the latest year for which data are available, and that only half the increase is due to population growth. [node:read-more:link]
Four Chinese companies as well as eight of their executives and employees are facing U.S. Justice Department charges arising from their role in trafficking materials used to make fentanyl. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the new strategy goes beyond targeting Mexican drug cartels by also pursuing their suppliers. [node:read-more:link]
The Communications Security Establishment warned today that Russia-aligned non-state actors will continue trying to compromise Canada’s petroleum sector. “The intent of this activity is very likely to disrupt critical services for psychological impact, ultimately to weaken Canadian support for Ukraine,” it said in its latest threat assessment. “This activity will almost certainly continue for the duration of the war, and will likely increase as Russia’s invasion efforts falter, or new support for Ukraine is announced.” [node:read-more:link]
Canada Border Services Agency officers have been disciplined for hundreds of acts of misconduct over the past two calendar years, including preferential treatment and criminal association, according to documents obtained through the Access to Information Act. In the last fiscal year alone, 93 investigations resulted in 54 verbal or written reprimands and 38 suspensions. [node:read-more:link]
