A Calgary man is believed to be the first conviction under an anti-piracy law in Canada. From CBC News: A Calgary man is believed to be the first person convicted in Canada under new movie pirating legislation when he pleaded guilty to the unauthorized recording of the Johnny Depp movie Sweeney Todd. Richard Lissaman was arrested in a [...]

Organized Crime in Canada is branching out into various activities to increase its revenue. From the Vancouver Sun: Organized criminals in Canada still rely on the drug trade for profits, but are branching out into all kinds of new illegal businesses, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Wednesday. Elliott told the Vancouver Board of Trade that some members of [...]

Organized gangs of jewelry thieves known as “bling rings” are continuing to target sellers of jewelry in areas outside of the tradition store, according to industry officials. In 2007, $39.5 million in times were stolen in off-premise robberies. From the Globe and Mail: For years the FBI has been tracking so-called “bling rings” of international jewel thieves responsible [...]

Canada’s diamond industry is at risk of having “blood diamonds” laundered into their diamond industry by organized crime and terrorist organizations, according to the Canadian government.  Form canada.com: The diamond industry in Canada’s Far North is vulnerable to smugglers looking to import “blood diamonds” or launder the proceeds of organized crime syndicates and terrorist organizations, newly released [...]

Seizures of ecstasy increased tenfold between 2003 and 2005 on the US-Canada border.  Source: Jane Gross, “Rise Seen in Trafficking of Enhanced Ecstasy“, New York Times, January 9, 2008.

Source: AFP, “Criminals dumping weak US dollar for euro,” Yahoo News, August 22, 2008.

A report from Canada is stating that Organized Crime groups are increasingly dealing in Euros instead of Dollars.  From the AFP (via Google News): he weakened US dollar has fallen out of favor with organized crime groups to pay for drug shipments or to settle scores, a Canadian government report said Friday. And if the greenback continues its [...]

Source: Canadian Press, ” Fake goods flooding into Canada an issue of crime and safety,” CBC News, April 2, 2007.

Source: “Sometimes a cigar is just a fake,” CBC Marketplace, November 4, 1997.

Police in Canada busted what is believed to be the largest counterfeit goods ring ever.  From the Canadian Press (via Google News): Police in Peel Region, west of Toronto, say they have uncovered what is believed to be the largest counterfeit goods ring in Canadian history. Officers discovered 25,000 pieces of merchandise after raiding three warehouses in Mississauga, [...]