Organized Crime and Internal Corruption
Date: June 4, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: IEB/CBSA
Issue:
On June 4, 2020, the CBC published an article entitled “CBSA warned Bill Blair that organized crime groups may be corrupting border officers”. The article discusses the content of the Minister’s 2019 Transition Material, which include cross-border incidents involving smuggling, counterfeit goods, human trafficking, money laundering and proceeds of crime.
Proposed Response:
- It is no secret that organized crime continues to pose a threat to the safety and security of Canadians, which is why CBSA places organized crime threats and activities as a Top Tier Intelligence and Enforcement Priority.
- Whether trafficking firearms, illicit narcotics or counterfeit goods, the CBSA works closely with its domestic and international law enforcement partners – using intelligence, and a variety of sophisticated tools and techniques - to detect and interdict these goods, and disrupt organized crime networks to help ensure the health and safety of Canadians.
- Let me be clear that CBSA employees operate with professionalism and integrity; however, as the threat of corruption exists in every organization, we take that threat very seriously.
- The CBSA has a variety of measures in place to ensure that its systems and members are not exploited by organized crime.
- The Agency conducts background checks on all employees upon employment, and at ongoing, regular intervals, and its human resources program focuses on the promotion of integrity, values and ethics. The CBSA works closely with law enforcement partners to conduct thorough investigations into any allegations of employee misconduct.
- The CBSA also works closely with federal and domestic partners to ensure non-federal port of entry employees working in Customs Controlled Areas, such as airport staff, undergo the appropriate background checks and security clearances in order to access these areas.
- Specialized CBSA teams, such as Toronto’s Specialized Border Interdiction Unit, focus solely on combatting internal conspiracies at ports of entry. This team works closely with intelligence, industry, and police partners to ensure the integrity of ports of entry operations and to combat organized crime.
Background:
On 4 June 2020, the CBC published an article (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cbsa-organized-crime-warning-1.5584691) entitled “CBSA warned Bill Blair that organized crime groups may be corrupting border officers”. The article refers to the following bullets found in Minister Blair’s 2019 Ministerial Transition Book, which was recently proactively disclosed online (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/pd-dp/tb-ct/min/overview-apercu-eng.html).
Organized Crime Threat
Firearms, weapons and illicit narcotics are high-risk commodities and their interdiction is a CBSA intelligence and enforcement priority. CBSA officers are the first line of defence in protecting Canadians from illegal weapons and other contraband. The CBSA works closely with both its domestic and international law enforcement partners to ensure the protection and safety of Canadians.
The CBSA is responsible for enforcing existing firearms laws at the border and protects Canadians by ensuring that import laws are respected. Its officers are responsible for ensuring that travellers and goods entering Canada comply with the various laws that prohibit, control or regulate the importation of goods into Canada.
The CBSA has undertaken a number of key activities to combat organized crime. These activities include enhancing air cargo security, deploying more detector dog teams, increasing detection for illicit guns in international postal centers, and establishing a contraband intelligence desk.
Internal Corruption
In 2017, and Audit on Border Corruption was conducted and no corruption was found during the audit. However, to reduce the risk of corruption, the CBSA enhanced it’s monitoring activities, enhanced its training and assessment programs for frontline managers and employees, and raised general employee awareness of the CBSA Code of Conduct as well as the consequences of misconduct.
Specialized Border Interdiction Unit and Internal Conspiracies
On July 1, 2019, the CBSA established the Specialized Border Interdiction Unit (SBIU) based out of Pearson International Airport. This unit operates 24/7 with a mandate of combatting internal conspiracies and organized crime. An “internal conspiracy” is defined when two or more people working at a Port of Entry (i.e. airport employees) collaborate (in the border context) to smuggle illiicit goods into the country, using their access and employment. To date, the SBIU has made a number of contraband seizures, discovered new concealment methods, and contributed to the CBSA and local law enforcement intelligence picture on organized crime.
(Note – the SBIU mandate does not include CBSA employees, as the insider threat effort is focused on non-CBSA Port of Entry employees with access to Customs Controlled Areas. Investigations into the conduct of CBSA employees would be led by Professional Standards.)
Contacts:
Prepared by: Aiesha Zafar, Director General, Intelligence and Targeting Directorate [Redacted]
Approved by: Scott Harris, Vice President, Intelligence and Enforcement Branch (613) 948-4111
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