Thirty-one organized criminal groups (OCGs) have members employed in Canadian public sector agencies or departments, and six are known to have significant influence, according to a recent report by an inter-agency organization that serves to coordinate criminal intelligence among member police forces.
The 2021 Public Report on Organized Crime, issued by Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC), identified over 2,600 OCGs known or believed to be operating in Canada, and said 14 are national high-level threats, with 7 in Ontario, 3 each in Quebec and B.C., and 1 in Alberta.
In addition to their involvement in outlaw motorcycle gangs, street gangs and firearms violence, and networks related to the Mafia, fentanyl, methamphetamine, money laundering, and cybercrime, two of these threat groups have made public sector infiltration part of their operations.
The report warns that Canada is among the top countries impacted by ransomware, with businesses, hospitals, police departments, and multiple levels of government falling victim.
“Law enforcement agencies are increasingly becoming a target; release of police operations, including criminal investigations, could have significant implications for public safety,” it says.
Bribery, money laundering, embezzlement, investigative interference, trial fixing, and concealed links to judiciary and political spheres are listed areas of concern in public sector infiltration.
“While infiltration of the public sector seems to occur mostly at the local/regional levels, OCGs may be using the benefits for interprovincial or international criminal activities,” the report states.
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