

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
APECO
ASEC
AMGT
AFIN
APER
ACABQ
AORC
AEMR
AF
AE
AR
AGMT
AU
AY
ABLD
AS
AG
AJ
APCS
AX
AM
AMEX
ATRN
ADM
AMED
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AL
ASUP
AND
ARM
ASEAN
AFFAIRS
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AODE
APEC
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AO
ABUD
AC
ADPM
ADCO
ASIG
ARF
AUC
ASEX
AGAO
AA
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AIT
AADP
ASCH
AORL
AROC
ACOA
ANET
AID
AMCHAMS
AINF
AMG
AFU
AN
ALOW
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
ACS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AGR
BEXP
BR
BM
BG
BL
BA
BTIO
BO
BP
BC
BILAT
BK
BU
BD
BRUSSELS
BB
BF
BBSR
BIDEN
BX
BE
BH
BT
BY
BMGT
BWC
BTIU
BN
CA
CASC
CFED
CO
CH
CS
CU
CE
CI
CM
CMGT
CJAN
COM
CG
CIS
CVIS
CR
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTER
CIA
CLINTON
CY
CPAS
CD
CBW
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CDG
CW
CODEL
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CARICOM
CB
CONDOLEEZZA
CWC
CACS
CSW
CIDA
CIC
CITT
CONS
CL
CACM
CDB
CDC
CAN
CF
CJUS
CTM
CBSA
CARSON
CT
CLMT
CBC
CEUDA
CV
COPUOS
CTR
CROS
CAPC
CAC
CNARC
CICTE
CBE
ECON
ETRD
EIND
ENRG
EC
ELAB
EAGR
EAID
EFIS
EFIN
EINV
EUN
EG
EPET
EAIR
EU
ELTN
EWWT
ECIN
ERD
EI
ETTC
EUR
EN
EZ
ETC
ENVI
EMIN
ET
ENVR
ER
ECPS
EINT
EAP
ES
ENIV
ECONOMY
EXTERNAL
EINN
EFTA
ECONOMIC
EPA
EXBS
ECA
ELN
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENGR
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
ELECTIONS
EIAR
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
ENERG
EFIM
EAIDS
EK
ETRDECONWTOCS
EINVETC
ECONCS
EUNCH
ESA
ECINECONCS
EUREM
ESENV
EFINECONCS
ETRC
ENNP
EAIG
EXIM
EEPET
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
ERNG
ETRO
ETRN
EINVEFIN
ICTY
IN
IS
IR
IC
IZ
IA
INTERPOL
IAEA
IT
IMO
IO
IV
ID
IRAQI
IEA
INRB
IL
IWC
ITU
ICAO
ISRAELI
ICRC
IIP
IMF
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
ITALY
ITALIAN
ILO
IPR
IQ
IRS
IAHRC
IZPREL
IRAJ
IDP
ILC
ITF
ICJ
IF
ITPHUM
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
IACI
IBET
ITRA
INR
IRC
IDA
ICTR
IGAD
INRA
INRO
IEFIN
INTELSAT
INTERNAL
INDO
ITPGOV
KWMN
KSCA
KDEM
KTFN
KIPR
KCRM
KPAL
KE
KPAO
KPKO
KS
KN
KISL
KFRD
KJUS
KIRF
KFLO
KG
KTIP
KTER
KRCM
KTIA
KGHG
KIRC
KU
KPRP
KMCA
KMPI
KSEO
KNNP
KZ
KNEI
KCOR
KOMC
KCFC
KSTC
KMDR
KFLU
KSAF
KSEP
KSAC
KR
KGIC
KSUM
KWBG
KCIP
KDRG
KOLY
KAWC
KCHG
KHDP
KRVC
KBIO
KAWK
KGCC
KHLS
KBCT
KPLS
KREL
KCFE
KMFO
KV
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVPR
KTDB
KSPR
KIDE
KVRP
KTEX
KBTR
KTRD
KICC
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KDEMAF
KMRS
KRAD
KOCI
KSTH
KUNR
KNSD
KGIT
KFSC
KHIV
KPAI
KICA
KACT
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCMR
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KNAR
KNUC
KPWR
KENV
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KPRV
KOM
KBTS
KCRS
KNPP
KWNM
KRFD
KVIR
KTBT
KAID
KRIM
KDDG
KRGY
KHSA
KWMM
KMOC
KSCI
KPAK
KX
KPAONZ
KCGC
KID
KPOA
KIFR
KFIN
KWAC
KOMS
KCRCM
KNUP
KMIG
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KJUST
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MX
MCAP
MO
MR
MI
MD
MK
MA
MP
MY
MTCRE
MOPPS
MASC
MIL
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MU
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MZ
MEETINGS
MG
MW
MAS
MT
MCC
MIK
ML
MARAD
MV
MERCOSUR
MTRE
MPOS
MEPP
MILITARY
MDC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MRCRE
MAPS
MEDIA
MASSMNUC
MC
NZ
NZUS
NL
NU
NATO
NP
NO
NIPP
NE
NH
NR
NA
NPT
NI
NSF
NG
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NDP
NEW
NRR
NATIONAL
NT
NS
NASA
NAR
NV
NORAD
NSSP
NK
NPA
NGO
NSC
NATOPREL
NW
NPG
NSFO
OPDC
OTRA
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OSCE
OEXC
OIE
OPRC
OAS
OPIC
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFFICIALS
OECD
OSCI
OBSP
OFDA
OPCW
ODIP
OFDP
OES
OPAD
OCII
OHUM
OVP
ON
OIC
OCS
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PINR
PTER
PARM
PREF
PM
PE
PINS
PK
PHSA
PBTS
PRGOV
PA
PORG
PP
PS
PGOF
PL
PO
PARMS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PAK
POL
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PBIO
PINF
PNG
PMIL
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PAO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PTBS
PCUL
PROP
PNAT
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PROG
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
PGOC
PY
PCI
PLN
PDOV
PREO
PGIV
PHUH
PAS
PU
POGOV
PF
PINL
POV
PAHO
PRL
PG
PRAM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POLICY
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGGV
PHUS
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PEL
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PBT
PTERE
RS
RU
RW
RM
RO
RP
REGION
RSP
RF
RICE
RCMP
RFE
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RUPREL
RELATIONS
ROOD
REACTION
RSO
REPORT
SENV
SNAR
SCUL
SR
SC
SOCI
SMIG
SI
SP
SU
SO
SW
SY
SA
SZ
SAN
SF
SN
STEINBERG
SG
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SAARC
SL
SEVN
SARS
SIPRS
SHUM
SANC
SWE
SHI
SYR
SNARCS
SPCE
SYRIA
SEN
SH
SCRS
SENVKGHG
TRGY
TSPL
TPHY
TSPA
TBIO
TI
TW
THPY
TX
TU
TS
TZ
TC
TH
TT
TIP
TO
TERRORISM
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TL
TV
TNGD
TD
TF
TP
TFIN
TAGS
TK
TR
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
UNHRC
UG
UP
UNMIK
UNHCR
UE
USTR
UNVIE
UAE
UZ
UY
UNO
UNESCO
USEU
USOAS
UV
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNEP
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDP
UNPUOS
UNC
UNAUS
USUN
UNCHC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCSD
UNDC
USNC
USPS
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 05VANCOUVER1524, MARIJUANA FLOURISHES IN B.C. AS METHAMPHETAMINE CRISIS
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #05VANCOUVER1524.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
05VANCOUVER1524 | 2005-12-05 19:07 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Consulate Vancouver |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
051907Z Dec 05
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VANCOUVER 001524
SIPDIS
DEA OFFICIALS TOLD US THAT ORGANIZED CRIME IS BEHIND ALMOST ALL
OF B.C.'S DRUG TRADE (SEE REFTEL). WHILE ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE
PROVINCE IS TRADITIONALLY DEFINED AS MOTORCYCLE AND ETHNIC
GANGS, AN RCMP REPORT EXPLAINS THAT ETHNIC BARRIERS ARE
DISSOLVING, MAKING WAY FOR HIGH LEVELS OF COOPERATION AMONG THE
VARIOUS ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS, WHICH SPECIALIZE IN SPECIFIC
ASPECTS OF THE TRADE AND SHARE THEIR EARNINGS. FOR EXAMPLE,
VIETNAMESE GANGS GROW MARIJUANA, WHICH INDO-CANADIAN
ORGANIZATIONS THEN TRANSPORT INTO THE UNITED STATES. HELLS
ANGELS OFTEN OVERSEE NETWORKS OF GROWERS AND HELP COORDINATE
SMUGGLING RUNS INTO THE U.S. CRIME RINGS USE MARIJUANA GROW-OPS
TO FUND OTHER SERIOUS CRIMES-SUCH AS U.S.-AND-MEXICAN-BASED
COCAINE TRAFFICKING INTO CANADA, WEAPONS IMPORTATION, AND THE
MOVEMENT OF EPHEDRINE AND ECSTASY-THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE BEYOND
THEIR REACH. LESS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON METHAMPHETAMINE
LINKS TO ORGANIZED CRIME, BUT THE JUNE RCMP REPORT ATTRIBUTES
MOST METHAMPHETAMINE AND OTHER CHEMICAL DRUGS TO HELLS ANGELS
AND ASIAN-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
WHA/CAN; INL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CA SNAR PREL ECIN
SUBJECT: MARIJUANA FLOURISHES IN B.C. AS METHAMPHETAMINE CRISIS
HEIGHTENS
REF: VANCOUVER 1470
¶1. Summary: The number of individual marijuana grow
operations, or grow-ops, in British Columbia has leveled-off
since 2000, but they continue to increase in size and
sophistication, according to a June 2005 RCMP report and a study
by the University College of the Fraser Valley's Department of
Criminology and Criminal Justice. Law enforcement is becoming
progressively less effective in stopping marijuana grow-op
crimes in the province. B.C. is a very large supplier of
smuggled marijuana and ecstasy to the U.S., and crime groups
have started using helicopters as a more secure way of transit
across the border. Methamphetamine is a major and growing
source of concern in the province, and production has shifted
away from the U.S. and more to B.C. where domestic demand for
the drug is on the rise. Organized crime groups are believed to
be the main players in the drug trade, the profits for which
they use to finance other crimes. End Summary.
New trends in marijuana grow-ops
¶2. British Columbia has the worst cultivation of marijuana
problem in Canada, reporting almost three times the national
average for grow-ops. Although the number of grow-ops in B.C.
has leveled-off since skyrocketing in the late 1990s, the size
of grow-ops has increased dramatically. Since 1997, there has
been a 60% increase in the number of plants seized in grow-op
raids, and the average quantity of harvested marijuana seized
has tripled. For example, in a number of recent raids, RCMP
seized up to 15,000 plants. This increase in size of grow-ops
correlates with two other noticeable changes-a location shift
from urban to rural and more sophisticated operations.
¶3. While the overall number of grow-ops uncovered in the Lower
Mainland and Greater Victoria urban areas has decreased since
2000, a shift from the cities to more rural areas is on the
rise. This shift from urban to rural areas has given marijuana
growers opportunities to procure larger properties, allowing for
greater production and less police and community detection.
While three-fourths of grow-ops occur in homes or apartments,
the recent shift has taken many operations out of the smaller
urban homes into multimillion dollar suburban and rural houses,
many of which are used solely for growing marijuana. Public
sources recounted some recent cases of drug lords owning
mortgage companies and renting homes to known marijuana
producers.
¶4. Marijuana grow operations have become more sophisticated
than in past years. More specialized equipment is used today
than a few years ago. For example, growers use high-voltage
light bulbs more often and in greater quantities than they did
in 1997. In addition, growers are using more electric
generators, and are coming up with more ways to steal and divert
energy.
Prosecution of marijuana growers is lacking
¶5. Even though the number of reported grow-ops has leveled-off,
the criminal justice system is increasingly unwilling to
prosecute growers caught in the act. Each year fewer cases are
being fully investigated, fewer offenders are charged and
convicted, and sentences are more lenient. In fact, 50% of
marijuana seizures terminate in "no case," leaving the offender
free to continue his/her crime. The vast majority of
individuals actually charged in grow-ops are convicted; however,
only 16% of these offenders go to prison, with an average prison
sentence of 4.9 months. Conditional sentences and probation
frequently take the place of prison time.
Where all the marijuana goes
¶6. RCMP reports that B.C. produces much more marijuana than it
actually uses. RCMP believes that up to 95% of the province's
marijuana is smuggled mostly into the western U.S., other
Canadian provinces, the eastern United States., and Europe.
Canada is the second-largest supplier of smuggled marijuana to
the U.S., behind only Mexico, and most of the Canadian marijuana
sent to the U.S. is from British Columbia.
¶7. According to a Vancouver Sun report and Consulate law
enforcement staff, the use of helicopters to transport marijuana
from Canada to the U.S. is a new trend. Criminal groups use drug
money to buy used helicopters for as little as $100,000. They
generally hire a pilot to teach group members how to fly the
helicopter, and pay a farmer near the border to store their
helicopter. Trafficking by air is faster and more secure than
on land and even if air traffic control signals the pilot,
police have no way to pull him over or verify his identity.
The scourge of methamphetamine
¶8. Of increasing concern in B.C. is the significant increase in
the availability and production of methamphetamine, particularly
crystal meth. Authorities are locating more and more "meth"
labs in B.C., and in September, police responded to a "break and
enter" 911 call and uncovered a lab containing $2.5 million
worth of methamphetamine. The lab was capable of producing more
than twelve kilograms of the drug every 48 hours. An RCMP
report indicates that methamphetamine laboratories are expanding
at an alarming rate.
¶9. Previously, Canada's methamphetamine supply came primarily
from the U.S. (via Mexico); however, circumstances have shifted
most major labs north into B.C. In the U.S., restrictions on
the sale of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine force
manufacturers to divert legitimate ephedrine from distributors
and extract ephedrine from medication. These difficulties,
together with effective prosecution of methamphetamine producers
and the relative lack of such deterrents in Canada, have slowed
the expansion of most major labs in the U.S., and the smaller
labs are unable to supply the Canadian demand, opening wide the
way for large domestic "meth" labs, such as the one uncovered in
September. Most meth manufactured in BC is for domestic
consumption. DEA tells us that there is little evidence to show
a trend in bulk shipments of meth going south. However, that
said, the precursors for making meth are routinely and
legitimately sent south. Canadian export restrictions for these
precursors is lax, according to DEA staff stationed in
Vancouver. Also, the precursors for making ecstasy are imported
from several different places and the finished product is then
moved south into the U.S., mainly by Vietnamese crime groups.
¶10. The Province newspaper reports that in B.C. one can buy all
the raw materials needed to produce methamphetamine for roughly
$100 at almost any local drug store or hardware store. Weak
sentencing guidelines give police little incentive to
investigate meth producers, and create little deterrent to
manufacturers and dealers of the drug.
¶11. Senior officials in B.C. have begun to take the
methamphetamine crisis seriously. For example, Premier Gordon
Campbell recently announced a $7 million increase in funding and
several new initiatives to strengthen the province's fight
against crystal meth, including funding campaigns against the
drug in local communities, launching a public awareness
campaign, and expanding treatment across the province. He also
pledged to continue working with the federal government to
toughen sentencing for meth dealers and producers. The RCMP
recently asked the DEA for help fighting methamphetamine with
training and expertise. And the Minister for Public Safety and
Solicitor General asked the Consul General to assist him in
identifying and sending US experts to come to BC to speak out on
the dangers of methamphetamine use and to provide advice on how
to attack this growing drug problem.
Links to organized crime
¶12. DEA officials told us that organized crime is behind almost
all of B.C.'s drug trade (see reftel). While organized crime in
the province is traditionally defined as motorcycle and ethnic
gangs, an RCMP report explains that ethnic barriers are
dissolving, making way for high levels of cooperation among the
various organized crime groups, which specialize in specific
aspects of the trade and share their earnings. For example,
Vietnamese gangs grow marijuana, which Indo-Canadian
organizations then transport into the United States. Hells
Angels often oversee networks of growers and help coordinate
smuggling runs into the U.S. Crime rings use marijuana grow-ops
to fund other serious crimes-such as U.S.-and-Mexican-based
cocaine trafficking into Canada, weapons importation, and the
movement of ephedrine and Ecstasy-that would otherwise be beyond
their reach. Less information is available on methamphetamine
links to organized crime, but the June RCMP report attributes
most methamphetamine and other chemical drugs to Hells Angels
and Asian-based organizations.
LUKENS