ALBERTA'S ORGANIZED CRIME BUSINESS IS BOOMING

Profits Being Funnelled Into Economy To Avoid Detection, CISA Says

EDMONTON - Marijuana grow operations and a booming methamphetamine
market are fuelling Alberta's organized crime network, a report
released Monday said.

"Both activities are providing organized crime with huge profits that
are being driven into the economy in ever-increasing complex schemes
to avoid detection," says the semi-annual report from the Criminal
Intelligence Service Alberta.

According to the report, 23 main organized crime groups are operating
in the province, including 10 identified as "Asian-based."

All are involved in drug production and trafficking, money laundering
and even legitimate businesses.

Alberta's problems with organized crime are hardly unique.

As commerce has become global, so has crime.

As commerce has relied more heavily on new communications technology,
criminal groups have as well.

"The same variables that make good business work, those same variables
make crime work too," said Keith Spencer, a professor of criminology
at the University of Alberta.

Insp. Rick Bohachyk of the Edmonton Police Service said advances in
technology have made organized crime investigations extremely
time-consuming.

Often they involve wiretaps and other high-tech methods that drain
money and personnel.

"On any given day I could use two or five or 10 more people," said
Bohachyk.

The report outlined several goals to help combat organized crime.
Among them are increased training for law enforcement officials, more
communication with the public and continuing communication between law
enforcement agencies.

Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta is the provincial bureau for the
federal Criminal Intelligence Service Canada and helps co-ordinate and
distribute intelligence among the province's municipal police forces
and RCMP.

The provincial government gives the agency an annual $2.4-million
grant.