Entrepreneurship in Canada is on the rise if you only look at organized crime.
Driving the news: According to two new reports from Canadian intelligence agencies, the number of organized crime groups manufacturing fentanyl and other drugs in Canada nearly doubled last year, a trend that has led to crime groups eyeing international expansion.
- An analysis of about 5,000 suspicious transactions found these groups deposit and withdraw funds at online casinos to launder proceeds from selling various drugs.
Why it’s happening: Canada has a reputation for being a haven for money laundering, which keeps drug traffickers in business. David Asher, who led an anti-fentanyl task force under Donald Trump, said international criminal networks use Canada as a “back-office.”
- This is the main argument made against Canada when it comes to its ‘place’ in the fentanyl epidemic, rather than the amount of fentanyl that makes it over the border.
Big picture: According to the Globe and Mail, fentanyl trafficking is killing an estimated 80,000 people a year in North America. In December, Ottawa unveiled a border plan that included a commitment to spend $1.3 billion to crack down on fentanyl at the border.—LA