VANCOUVER AIRPORT NO. 2 FOR CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

RCMP Spent Two Years Analyzing Biggest Terminals

An RCMP inquiry has concluded that all of Canada's major airports have
been infiltrated by organized crime, and Vancouver airport has the
worst gang activity after Toronto.

The investigation, dubbed Project Spawn, examined hundreds of police
files at Canada's eight largest airports between 2005 and 2007 and
concluded hundreds of people were involved in crime, including almost
300 current or former airport employees.

"Of the 58 organized-crime groups included in this report . . . 60 per
cent were known to be utilizing Toronto International Airport . . .
followed by 50 per cent at Vancouver International Airport," said the
report.

Based on files examined, the RCMP found that all of the heroin
smuggled into Canada from India came through Vancouver, as well as
close to half of all the cocaine. It also found significant human
trafficking at the Vancouver airport.

The study warned that airport staff compromised by criminal activity
can be easily exploited by terrorists.

"[Airport] staff can be bribed to ignore criminality or paid large
sums to assist in drug trafficking or theft," said the RCMP. "Once
compromised, such employees may be . . . weak links . . . unable to
stand up to terrorists."

Less than one per cent of airport employees in high-security areas are
searched either on their way in or out.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh said the travelling public, which is still
facing confiscation of tiny vials of lotion or tweezers by zealous
airport security guards, "will have to see these as seriously
frightening statistics."

Dosanjh criticized the fact that federal agencies that do
criminal-background checks of airport employees don't share
information with the RCMP, due to privacy laws.

The report sidesteps the issue, though it admits that "certain
information about airport employees that would have been useful in
identifying potential criminality . . . was not provided [to RCMP] by
Transport Canada."

Don Ehrenholz, operations vice-president for the Vancouver Airport
Authority, said "we will be working closely with Transport Canada and
the RCMP to investigate what can be done to improve security at the
airport."

Chief Supt. Pierre Perron, director-general of criminal intelligence
for the RCMP, said the report points up the need for greater
co-operation and information-sharing between agencies.