The Dominican Republic’s envoy to Canada says her country, bound by law, had no choice but to detain a Canadian airline crew and passengers for seven months after they had reported cocaine hidden in their aircraft. Ambassador Michelle Cohen also denies that the five Pivot Airlines crewmembers and te\heir passengers had spent time in prison despite accounts to the contrary. [node:read-more:link]
Seven months after they were arbitrarily detained by the Dominican Republic for reporting an attempt to smuggle cocaine, 12 Canadians learned today that repatriation is on the horizon after the prosecutor submitted the requisite paperwork. They include five employees of Toronto-based Pivot Airlines and seven passengers, who had chartered the aircraft to assess real estate investment potential in the Caribbean tourist destination. [node:read-more:link]
The Supreme Court of Canada (Docket No. 39346) has upheld the constitutionality of a federal statute which provides for prison rather than conditional sentencing in cases of crimes involving maximum sentences of at least 14 years in prison, or 10 years in drug-related cases. The 5-4 decision handed down November 3 was on an appeal by an indigenous woman who pled guilty to importing cocaine on behalf of her boyfriend. [node:read-more:link]
The Supreme Court of Canada (Docket No. 39346) has upheld the constitutionality of a federal statute which provides for prison rather than conditional sentencing in cases of crimes involving maximum sentences of at least 14 years in prison, or 10 years in drug-related cases. The 5-4 decision handed down November 3 was on an appeal by an indigenous woman who pled guilty to importing cocaine on behalf of her boyfriend. [node:read-more:link]
Fifteen people and a Calgary company have been charged following a cross-border $55-million drug bust. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team, an umbrella agency, said September 27 that the investigation which began in 2020 also involved police in B.C., Saskatchewan and Ontario as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. [node:read-more:link]
A U.S. Navy veteran who worked for more than a decade as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan and who had been held hostage by the Taliban for two years was released by the Taliban September 19 in exchange for a drug trafficker associated with the Taliban who was jailed in 2008. There had been concerns that repatriation attempt would be undermined by the fundamentalists’ return to power last year and the subsequent withdrawal of the U.S. military. [node:read-more:link]
A multinational police operation has resulted in the arrest of five persons who used private jets to smuggle migrants into Europe. The suspects and two others still at large are accused of giving the migrants fake diplomatic papers from Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean but flew them from Turkey to a European airport where declared their true identity and claimed asylum. Two jets worth €426,000 have been seized. [node:read-more:link]
A six-month police investigation has led to the arrest of two Ottawa residents on multiple weapons-related charges after a recent traffic stop on Highway 401 in eastern Ontario netted 46 pistols, long guns and magazines. One of the accused also was charged with possession of cocaine. [node:read-more:link]
Information gleaned from a Toronto Police Service social media account indicates that most seized crime-related firearms are imported, most likely from the U.S. So far this year, 84 of 116 seized weapons were prohibited, 20 were restricted and 11 were non [node:read-more:link]
Four people have been arrested in Australia after more than $140 million worth of illegal drugs were discovered in a vintage 1960 Bentley shipped from Canada. Police in New South Wales said border officers received a tip which led to the discovery of methylamphetamine and cocaine hidden in the classic automobile. [node:read-more:link]
A look at why has Canada gone so long without a comprehensive Organized Crime Strategy. We have seen how organized crime infiltrates and damages the total fabric of society. This article assesses the best options for moving forward. [node:read-more:link]
Premier Andrew Fahie of the British Virgin Islands has been charged in Miami with drug smuggling and money laundering. Drug Enforcement Agency officers, who had posed as a Mexican drug traffickers, say the politician had agreed to a £560,000 payment to allow traffickers to use the Caribbean territory’s ports. A BVI port official and her son also have been charged. [node:read-more:link]
Responding to calls for change, made after every major gun violence event, the federal government is ready to introduce new gun legislation as a next step to the May 2020 ban on numerous assault weapons. [node:read-more:link]
The flight crew of a Toronto-based charter operation, Pivot Airlines, have been detained under poor conditions in the Dominican Republic after they reported finding 450 pounds of cocaine in the avionics bay of their Bombardier jet. Rather than thanking them, local authorities arrested them pending an investigation. [node:read-more:link]
A family of four from India who arrived in Toronto Jan. 12 and were found frozen to death in Manitoba near the U.S. border last week have been officially identified. Police are continuing their investigation into suspected a human smuggling ring. [node:read-more:link]
