BUYING KNOCK-OFFS, BOOTLEGS SUPPORTS CRIME: TOP COPS

TORONTO (CP) -- Buying knock-off designer clothes, bootleg DVDs or
even a marijuana joint might seem to be relatively innocuous
purchases, but buyers have to understand they could be directly
supporting organized crime, police leaders in Ontario say.

In a new report, police try to debunk romanticized stereotypes about
organized crime by pointing out that such criminals can be violent,
pose a threat to legitimate businesses and undermine Canada's
economic well-being.

"People go out and ... think they're getting a bargain," said Toronto
Police Chief Bill Blair, below, president of the Ontario Association
of Chiefs of Police. But "there's a far greater price being paid as a
result of their supporting the criminal group," he said.

The report, Out of the Shadows -- available at www.oacp.on.ca --
outlines activities from gun running and prostitution to drug
dealing, money laundering and so-called "e-crimes."