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Australian drug trade 'high-reward' for Canadian criminals, B.C. police say

my3rdeye

Bluelighter
Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Messages
1,187
Meh. The claim illegal BC weed growers had to move on to hard drugs because some states legalized is silly. The whole rest of Canada is still a big market, and so are all those states it is illegal. Neither Mexican pot smugglers or Canadian ones are going to be out of business any time soon. Also the high price of drugs in Australia will result in more crime. You always see crime spikes in urban neighborhoods when price of drugs goes up, so any success in drug war will result in more crime. That is standard everywhere.


Australian drug trade 'high-reward' for Canadian criminals, B.C. police say

Canada brings 2nd highest amount of cocaine into Australia, Australian Crime Commission reports

By Ethan Lou, The Canadian Press Posted: Aug 31, 2014 4:23 PM PT Last Updated: Aug 31, 2014 4:51 PM PT




There is an increasing Canadian presence in the Australian drug scene, where traffickers brave harsh enforcement for large profits in a "high-risk, high-reward" market, authorities say.

The Australian Crime Commission reports that most of the cocaine brought into the country comes from Chile, with Canada second, climbing three spots since 2010.

Free trip to Canada dupes seniors into smuggling drugs

The numbers accompany a spate of Canadian-linked drug incidents during the past year, including the conviction in June of a Canadian man who tricked an elderly Australian couple into becoming drug mules.

"Even though it may be logistically complex to get illicit drugs to Australia, (traffickers) feel the expense is worth it because of the high prices they can obtain if successful," Australian Federal Police said in a statement.

Estimates of the street value of the drug vary between police jurisdictions within Canada, but Australian authorities say a kilogram of cocaine there can fetch up to $250,000, which could be up to five times higher than the price in Canada.
Australia may be 'an attractive place'

A spokesman for a British Columbia multi-agency initiative said Canadian criminals do not produce cocaine, much of which comes from South America.

"They'll try to buy or barter for a [kilogram] or however many [kilograms] of cocaine, and then, because it's all about making money, they look to see where they can make the most," said Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Special Forces Enforcement Unit.

"Smuggle it into Australia ... they can get three, four, five times the price."

He said drug supply is short in Australia because of strong enforcement and the country's location — it is far from where cocaine is predominantly produced.
li-drug-arrest-australia-03

The Australian Federal Police said in 2013 that a 34-year-old Canadian man was charged with importing drugs after officers found 350 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine hidden in this construction vehicle shipped from China. (Australia Federal Police/Associated Press)

"The Australian police have been really successful in disrupting, suppressing criminal groups," Houghton said.

Canadian traffickers affiliate themselves with local gangs, but sometimes rope in Canadian expatriates, Houghton said.

Canadian drug runners have "significant connections" with Australian outlaw biker gangs and other criminal organizations, the Australian Crime Commission said.

To combat their operations, the RCMP said it holds joint investigations with Asian and Australian police. The Mounties also have a liaison based in Australia's capital of Canberra and an intelligence analyst "out-posted" to Australian Federal Police, the Australian agency said.

Houghton's unit, which comprises RCMP and provincial and municipal police, was involved last year in dismantling what they called a major Canada-Australia drug network.

Dan Werb, director of the B.C.-based International Centre for Science in Drug Policy, said legalization of marijuana in some American states last year could have sparked an increase in Canadian drug activity elsewhere. Canadian-produced illegal marijuana is now facing intense competition from legal marijuana in those states, so dealers in Canada may be looking toward harsher drugs and other export markets, Werb said.

"What is happening to all those people who are involved in the illegal drug trade?" he said.

"People simply exiting the illegal drug trade? That's probably unlikely. Are they potentially moving to other trafficking routes? Australia may be an attractive place."


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...r-canadian-criminals-b-c-police-say-1.2752074
 
^ this.
As our Prime Minister said upon taking office - "Australia is open for business".
And why not the most lucrative business of them all?
 
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