Preface
| Author | Robert Hubbard; Daniel Murphy; Fergus O'Donnell; Peter De Freitas |
| Pages | 25-28 |
PREFACE
Estimates
of the
scope
of
money laundering
and
proceeds
of
crime vary
widely but,
by any
measure,
the
figures
are
staggering.
A
United Nations
publication
has
postulated that
the
amount
of
"dirty"
money laundered
glob-
ally
in a
single year ranges between $500 billion
and $I
trillion.1
The
global
profit
from
drugs alone
has
been estimated
at
$500 billion.2
In
1997,
the
Solicitor General told Parliament that
the
illicit drug trade
in
Canada, only
one of
many profit-rich criminal enterprises, generates
profits
of $10
billion.3
Clearly,
these
figures
are
estimates. Part
of the
difficulty
in
dealing with
the
issues
posed
by
proceeds
of
crime
is
determining
the
extent
of the
problem.
Canada
suffers
from
the
same lack
of
information
as the
rest
of the
world:
there
are no
firm
statistics
on
proceeds
of
crime
in
this country.
In
Canada,
the
federal government's proceeds-of-crime initiatives have
almost
entirely been connected
to the war on
drugs.
In
2001,
the
Auditor
General
of
Canada,
for
instance, reported
on a
review
of the
federal
govern-
ment's drug enforcement activities.
As
part
of
that review,
the
Auditor Gen-
eral
noted that
the
Integrated Proceeds-of-Crime Units
— the
principal fed-
eral
initiative aimed
at
seizing,
freezing,
and
forfeiting
assets
derived
from
organized crime
—
have mainly targeted proceeds
from
drug crimes.
The
Auditor
General's report stated:
The
RCMP's
federal
drug
efforts
are
largely
undertaken
by two
groups:
Drug
Enforcement
Branch,
with
about
886
staff;
and the
Integrated
Proceeds
of
Crime
Initiative,
with
about
415
staff.
The
latter
group
investigates
persons
for
proceeds
of
crime
and
seizes
assets
obtained
through
illicit
drug
sales.
These
two
groups
receive
significant
assistance from
RCMP
functions
such
as
intelligence
and
other
specialized
investi-
gation
services,
including
electronic
and
physical
surveillance.
Other
RCMP
groups,
such
as the
Customs
and
Excise
Branch
and
Federal
Statute
Enforcement,
also
make
a
number
of
drug-related
arrests;
however,
those
arrests
are
generally
incidental
to the
primary
focus
of
their
activities.
Integrated
Proceeds
of
Crime
is a
federal
initiative whose mandate
is to
investigate
organized
crime
groups,
with
a
view
to
seizing/restraining
and
forfeiting
assets
gained through criminal
activities.
It is
largely
a
drug-related
initiative;
an
estimated
go
percent
of
seizures
are
related
to
drugs.
The
initiative
consists
of 13
units
across
Canada,
staffed
with
a mix of
fed-
1
The
United
Nations
Office
for
Drug Control
and
Crime
Prevention,
"Global
Programme
against
Money
Laundering,"
accessible
at
time
of
writing
at
/index.
html>.
2
The
United
Nations
Drug Control
Programme,
accessible
at
time
of
writing
at
vienna.rpo.at/undcp.htm
>.
3
Annual
Statement
on
Organized
Crime
by the
Solicitor
General
of
Canada
(1997),
accessible
at
time
of
writing
at
e19971
Iorgcrime.htm>.
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