Between 2005 and 2010, Canadian prosecutors filed 936 charges of money laundering to individuals in the country. Out of those charges, prosecutors obtained convictions in 134 cases, a conviction rate of 14 percent.
Financial intelligence officials say that many charges of money laundering are dropped in exchange for guilty pleas for other charges, such as drug trafficking.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police estimates that between $5 Billion to $15.2 Billion is laundered in Canada each year.
Source: Linda Gyulai, “Attention turns to assets after mass arrests,” Montreal Gazette, May 10, 2013.
The Windor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce reported to Senators that up to $13.9 Billion (14 Billion Canadian) was being illegally gambled in Canada.
Source: “Gambling addicts, senators oppose single sports betting,” CBC News, April 30, 2013.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that 44,975 counterfeit Canadian banknotes were found by authorities in 2012. The number of fake banknotes discovered in circulation has been declining for 8 years in a row and is down 92 percent from 2004.
Aside from the number of fake banknotes discovered, the RCMP also seized 14,882 counterfeit banknotes in 2012.
68 percent of the fake notes passed in 2012 were of the $20 bill.
Out of the nearly 2 billion banknotes in circulation, financial regulators estimate that up to 28 counterfeit notes out of every 1 million legitimate notes. The value of these counterfeits are $1.6 Million.
Source: Daniel Schwartz, “Bank of Canada unveils new $5 and $10 polymer banknotes,” CBC News, April 30, 2013.
An investigation by the Toronto Star reported on how guns are purchased in the United States and trafficked into Canada.
The report stated that a gun would first be purchased in the United States for $150. The gun would then be smuggled across the border and sold in the City of Windsor for $800 to $1,000 to a trafficker. The trafficker would then move the gun further north into the City of Toronto, where that gun is sold for at least $2,000.
Pistols in Toronto are also available for rent for $600 per night, according to the Toronto Star.
Up to 70 percent of all crimes involving guns in Canada involve firearms purchased in the United States and smuggled into the country.
Source: David Bruser and Jayme Poisson, “Star investigation: How one U.S. gun broker moved firearms across the border,” Toronto Star, April 18, 2013.
Source: Jayme Poisson and David Bruser, “Hundreds of illegally made gun parts seized in online trafficking bust,” Toronto Star, April 23, 2013.
According to a report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, at least 9 Canadians who were associated with organized crime activities were killed in Mexico between 2008 to 2012.
The internal report by the RCMP stated that Mexican drug cartels are expanding their influence in Canada’s drug trade.
Source: Peter Edwards, “Mexican drug cartel violence hits Canadian mobsters,” Toronto Star, April 19, 2013.
Travel agencies in Romania were accused by prosecutors are being human smuggling rings to bring people into the United States and Canada from Mexico.
The agents would first send Romanians to Mexico due to the lack of visa requirement. From Mexico, the migrants then paid $8,000 in order to be illegally smuggled into the United States or Canada.
According to prosecutors in Romania, around 600 people used the various travel agencies to book flights. 300 of the travelers were found illegally in the United States.
Source: Associated Press, “Romania: Trafficking Ring to US, Canada Broken Up,” ABC News, March 26, 2013.
According to a report by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), between $4.8 Billion to $14.6 Billion (5 Billion to 15 Billion Canadian Dollars) in was laundered in Canada in 2011.
FINTRAC also reported 777 cases of suspicious transactions to law enforcement and government agencies during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Source: Laura Payton, “Money laundering laws not working, Senate committee says,” CBC News, March 21, 2013.
Canada Post losses up to $9.7 Million (10 Million Canadian Dollars) to the use of counterfeit stamps, according to a stamp expert.
Between 5 to 10 million counterfeit stamps are used as postage in the country each year.
Source: “Counterfeit stamps cost Canada Post millions a year, expert says,” CBC News, March 13, 2013.
In 2012, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) reported that it lost up $1.95 Million (2 Million Canadian Dollars) to counterfeit Metropasses and counterfeit tokens.
68 people were arrested for creating counterfeit materials, and there were 615 reported incidents of counterfeit Metropasses. In 2011, there were 492 reported incidents of fake Metropasses.
Source: “TTC loses $2 million to counterfeit Metropasses and tokens,” CanIndia, February 25, 2013.
In 2012, police in Montreal reported that there were 18 murders that were related to organized crime activities. The number refers only to successful killings and does not include the many attempted murders that took place in public places such as in bars and cafes.
Law enforcement experts in Montreal are stating that the Italian Mob is contracting out hits to biker gangs in the region.
Source: “What does 2013 hold for the world of organized crime?,” CTV News, January 8, 2013.
