Latest news with #organized crime
CTV News
14 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. RCMP, provincial government announce new 12-member human trafficking unit
RCMP Supt. Elija Rain speaks during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The British Columbia government and the RCMP say a new 12-member specialized unit will tackle human trafficking throughout the province, with a focus on organized crime and support for 'vulnerable' victims. Solicitor General Nina Krieger says human trafficking occurs all over B.C. and she urged the public to report suspected cases to law enforcement. Krieger says today marks the 12th annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons established by the United Nations, and human trafficking is a 'global threat driven by organized crime.' Chief Supt. Elija Rain, who heads the B.C. RCMP major crime section, says the unit was established and staffed officially in March and it currently has four active investigations that are 'provincewide.' Rain says human trafficking cases are 'difficult and complex prosecutions' that require working with victims, and while the number of successful prosecutions is low, 'sometimes just rescuing a victim and getting them away from that environment is a success.' He says the crime of human trafficking is 'grossly under-reported' and the team is focused on 'rescue and removal' of victims forced into sexual labour. This report by Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press, was first published July 30, 2025.
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan PM says human smuggling in decline after crackdown prompted by migrant boat tragedies
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday human smuggling incidents involving Pakistani migrants had declined following a series of deadly boat tragedies, crediting law enforcement actions for curbing the crime, which he described as an organized global enterprise of exploitation. Sharif's remarks came in a statement marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed this year under the theme 'Human Trafficking: A Coordinated Crime – End Exploitation.' The message follows a series of maritime tragedies over the past two years in which scores of Pakistanis have drowned while attempting to reach Europe through irregular sea routes. These included a shipwreck off Greece in mid-2023, a December 2024 incident near the Greek coast, a January 2025 disaster off Morocco and two separate capsizings off the Libyan coast in early and mid-2025. 'To prevent such incidents and bring traffickers to justice, the federal government formed a special task force for timely intervention,' Sharif said in the statement circulated by the Prime Minister's Office to mark the day. 'It is encouraging that the task force has worked with diligence and strategy to address the root causes, motives and consequences of this grave crime,' he added. 'The FIA and Intelligence Bureau have significantly reduced the activities of human smuggling networks, and complicit officials have also been held accountable.' The prime minister described human smuggling as a 'transnational crime' that targets vulnerable people in search of livelihoods. 'Criminal networks around the world exploit citizens seeking employment opportunities through human smuggling,' he said. 'In recent years, the tragic deaths of Pakistani migrants who drowned while trying to travel abroad illegally have further exposed the horrific and dangerous face of human smuggling.' Sharif noted the government was not only targeting smugglers but also educating the public about safe, legal avenues for overseas employment. He emphasized while the state is working to create job opportunities at home and abroad, risking one's life through illegal routes was both dangerous and a violation of national and international law. Pakistan actively participates in global platforms to counter trafficking, including the Budapest Process, Bali Process and the STARSOM Project, which focus on regional cooperation across Asia, Africa and the Americas. 'Today is an opportunity to renew our collective resolve,' the prime minister said, 'to ensure that federal and provincial governments, law enforcement agencies, the foreign ministry and intelligence institutions continue to play their part in eradicating this heinous crime.'
CBC
23-07-2025
- CBC
Members of 'theft ring' suspected of registering stolen vehicles using loopholes
The Alberta RCMP have laid charges against members of an organized vehicle theft ring that relied on registering stolen vehicles under the names of unsuspecting individuals. In a news release Wednesday, RCMP stated that this group was registering stolen vehicles with fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (VINs) by primarily exploiting loopholes in Alberta Registries' Third-Party Authorization System. It can be used by people involved in organized crime to legitimize stolen, "re-VINned" vehicles. As a result of an investigation by the RCMP Auto Theft Unit that began in December 2024, five individuals from Edmonton and two from High River, Alta., have been charged with a combined total of 99 criminal charges. Police said at least 30 stolen vehicles have been linked to the charged individuals, and six of these vehicles have been recovered so far. According to Hanna Beydoun, the Insurance Bureau of Canada's director of auto policy, "re-VINning" refers to when a person illegally alters the Vehicle Identification Number to "hide the true identity of that car, mislabelling it essentially." "So, this allows them to register it at provincial registries and sell it to these innocent and unsuspecting buyers," Beydoun said. RCMP said that more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills, and nearly $10,000 in cash were also seized. Since the beginning of the investigation in 2024, the RCMP Auto Theft Unit has identified and is working to locate more than 150 registered stolen vehicles that have been re-VINned. Overall, the wider investigation by the Auto Theft Unit has resulted in the recovery of approximately $1.9 million in stolen vehicles in Alberta. How police plans to address rising auto thefts in Alberta 13 days ago Alberta is experiencing a rise in car theft — and Edmonton is one of the hardest-hit cities. CBC's Stephanie Cram spoke with Edmonton's interim police chief about plans to tackle the issue.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- CTV News
7 people face 99 charges in connection with organized vehicle theft ring: RCMP
Alberta RCMP have recovered about $1.9 million in stolen vehicles in its organized vehicle theft ring investigation. (Supplied) Seven people face 99 charges in connection with an organized vehicle theft ring. RCMP say its Auto Theft Unit began investigating numerous people in December after finding they were using Alberta Registries' Third-Party Authorization System to register fake VINs under unsuspecting persons' names without their permission. The fraudulent VINs were then used to conceal stolen vehicles. Since the investigation, police have recovered about $1.9 million in stolen vehicles and are working to locate another 150. Mounties have also seized more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills and nearly $10,000 in cash. RCMP seizure RCMP seized more than one kilogram of cocaine, more than 200 OxyContin pills and nearly $10,000 in an investigation into am organized vehicle theft ring. (Supplied) One 40-year-old man from Edmonton faces 28 counts of uttering forged document charges. He also faces dozens of other charges including fraudulent concealment, fraud over $5,000, possession for the purpose of trafficking, participation in criminal organization and more. Another 40-year-old man from Edmonton faces 22 counts of uttering forged documents as well as fraudulent concealment and fraud over $5,000. Two other men face uttering forged document charges as well as fraud over $5,000 and trafficking in property obtained by crime over $5,000. The four are to appear in court on July 29. Warrants are out for three others who each face several counts of uttering forged document charges.
The National
14-07-2025
- The National
Dubai Police extradite alleged crime lord wanted for trafficking in Belgium
Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three alleged Belgian crime gang leaders facing human and drug trafficking charges in their home country. The three suspects — Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes and Othman El Ballouti — were listed in the most-wanted category by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). Dubai Media Office said on Sunday that the three men were held based on Interpol red notices issued against them, in an operation carried out by police in Dubai in close co-ordination with international law enforcement agencies. The trio have been handed over to authorities in their native Belgium, where they are accused of serious cross-border crimes, including operating a gang, trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, committing robbery and engaging in human trafficking. El Ballouti was sanctioned by the US government in July 2023 on suspicion of international drug trafficking. The Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said he oversaw an international crime network responsible for smuggling "significant quantities of cocaine via shipping containers through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium for wider distribution throughout Europe". Dubai Police previously announced his arrest in connection with international organised crime and drug trafficking in December, 2024. The Belga News Agency in Belgium said at the time that his arrest represented a breakthrough for efforts in the country to target drug lords operating abroad. It said El Ballouti was sentenced in his absence to seven years imprisonment for trafficking 840kg of cocaine. His extradition and those of his two fellow suspects followed a Dubai Police investigation, conducted in co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior and led by the General Department of Criminal Investigation, in response to an international arrest warrant submitted by Belgian authorities to the International Co-operation Department at the UAE Ministry of Justice. "All required legal and judicial formalities were duly complied with before proceeding with the extradition request," Dubai Media Office said. Dubai Police emphasised its commitment to supporting efforts to build a strong global security network to combat criminal activity. Ministers discuss extradition Abdullah Al Nuaimi, the UAE's Minister of Justice, spoke by phone with Annelies Verlinden, Belgium's Minister of Justice, after a plane carrying the three wanted men arrived in Belgium. The suspects were extradited under rulings issued by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in line with bilateral agreements in place between the Emirates and Belgium. An extradition treaty was agreed between the countries in December 2021 and came into force the following November. Both ministers said joint co-operation demonstrated the commitment of both nations to the fight against organised crime and drugs-related violence and to ensuring those accused of serious offences are brought to justice.
