Guns 'n' BlackBerries: Technology a boon to organized crime, police report says
August 18, 2007

staff reporter

Organized criminals are building handguns and rifles through parts and information pulled from the Internet, according to a report by Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, a police information body.

"The Internet has been exploited to acquire firearm parts that would later be shipped via post and courier, assembled and then sold to individual criminals or members of organized crime," states the report, released yesterday. "In addition, there are websites that instruct people how to build guns."

The police report, issued annually, says 950 organized crime groups operate in Canada, up from 800 last year.

Some of the increase may be the result of better reporting by local police agencies, states the report, which defines an organized crime group as having at least three people and the intent of committing multiple crimes.

Their most prominent criminal enterprises include illicit drugs, financial crime, intellectual property theft and vehicle theft.

Antonio Nicaso, a Greater Toronto Area organized crime expert, said local criminals have almost no difficulty obtaining guns.

"It's very easy to get a gun, regardless of whether you're a member of a criminal organization or not," said Nicaso, who has written several books on organized crime.

He said some established criminals in Toronto rent guns to lesser criminals for crimes.

The report says that Canadian organized criminals are blending violence with technological savvy, with criminals wielding both guns and BlackBerries.

"Technology is ... being exploited by organized crime groups, particularly communication devices such as mobile wireless and personal digital assistants (e.g. BlackBerries) that increase the speed of communication between individuals and groups," the report states. "Communication devices also serve to insulate groups from law enforcement detection such as in the use of multiple, disposable cell phones."

"Organized crime has benefited enormously from new technology and globalization," Nicaso said.

The report states that organized criminals are mining garbage bins and Interac devices for personal and business data to use for identity fraud.

"This type of information is obtained through a variety of methods, including: simple mail or garbage theft, modification of point-of-sale terminals such as Interac devices, online data mining, compromising corporate databases or through black market websites that sell stolen data from credit cards and drivers' licences," the report states.

"Identity theft has become the crime wave of the new millennium on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, leading to financial crimes that require no direct communication between victim and criminal," Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino stated in the report.

Canada also remains a base for telemarketing schemes that target countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, India, France and Morocco.

Several organized crime groups make hundreds of millions of dollars through mortgage frauds, the report states.

Criminals are also using the Internet for stock market fraud.

"Online investors' brokerage accounts are vulnerable to theft and manipulation due to targeted Internet hijacking," the report states.

"In 2006, according to the Canadian Bankers Association, credit card fraud losses increased 10 per cent from 2005, totalling $185.45 million, while fraud from debit card skimming increased approximately 34 per cent to $94.6 million," the report continues.

Drugs remain the major money-maker for Canadian organized crime groups, with marijuana "the most produced and abused illicit drug in Canada."

"Marijuana grow operations also often contain numerous fire hazards, including exposed live wires and volatile chemicals," the report states. "Vapours from a variety of chemicals used to accelerate plant growth can also cause respiratory health problems. High levels of moulds and pollens can cause asthma, respiratory conditions and allergies in individuals who live or work in damaged residences, as well as to law enforcement, rescue workers and municipal officials.

"Competition between crime groups that engage in marijuana cultivation and the threat of crop theft continue to result in home invasions, assaults, homicides and booby trap-related injuries."