Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jun 2006
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Matt Kieltyka
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?188 (Outlaw Bikers)

THE WILD, WILD WEST

In this two-part series, Sun Media reporters explore the prevalence 
of gangs that plague every major city across the country.

Police and legislators are concerned about the growing association 
between street gangs and organized crime, with growing evidence of 
gang ties to international terrorist organizations.

Drugs fuel the gang world in Canada, so it's no wonder Vancouver has 
been struggling with increased gang activity and violence over the 
last two decades.

In a sense, Vancouver is the perfect breeding ground for illegal activity.

"There is a market here for illegal activity and drugs are always in 
the background," said Insp. John De Haas, who oversees youth services 
and gang activity at the Vancouver police department. "Drug 
trafficking is a huge issue."

Easy access to transportation lines to Asia and the U.S. make 
Vancouver a prime distribution centre for both street gangs and 
organized crime and De Haas admitted the area has more than enough 
marijuana grow-ops and meth labs to keep the drug economy in B.C. booming.

"Gangs run the full spectrum of crimes, you name it, but the drug 
trade is the predominant one, whether it's provincial, 
intra-provincial or cross border," said Const. Shinder Kirk, one of 
60 officers assigned to the RCMP's B.C. Integrated Gang Task Force.

The Gang Task Force was formed from public concern over the level of 
violence within South Asian gangs in the Lower Mainland.

The high profile 15-year conflict has led to the murder of over 100 
Indo-Canadians - all between the ages of 18 and 30.

As the gang scene in Vancouver continued to evolve, the team has been 
restructured to assist with all gang-related investigations.

Authorities say most of the major players try to keep a low profile 
and run their activities more like businesses than anything else.

"We don't see territorial violence here like we do in bigger cities," 
said De Haas. "In fact, we see a lot of different groups co-operating 
and forming business relationships."

De Haas says this co-operation between gangs is one of the main 
reasons criminal activities on the West Coast thrive in comparison to 
other Canadian cities.

Under the radar

"The lack of conflict within gangs has helped them grow and stay 
under the police radar," he said. "They say the B.C. chapter of the 
Hells Angels is the richest in the world and it's because of that."

Although Vancouver has the typical examples of traditional organized 
crime such as biker gangs and Asian triads, and ethnic groups, mainly 
South Asian, Vietnamese and Filipino, both Kirk and De Haas say 
they've seen some extraordinary changes in the last few years.

"The groups now are very fluid in nature," said Kirk. "We have the 
traditional and historical crime groups but there are also a lot of 
individuals who try to participate for short periods of time."

De Haas says many gangsters are putting aside their traditional roles 
and forming gangs with the sole purpose of making money, regardless of race.

"About two years ago we saw a less ethnically based gang that came 
together for strictly business purposes," he said. "We were rather 
surprised to see this group grow so rapidly and have so much success 
financially."

Malachi, a former gangster with close ties to the scene, said the 
sophisticated approach is necessary if you want to make money and 
keep the cops off your back.

'Push, push, push'

"The second you brand yourself in a particular group, the police will 
pick up on it," said Malachi, who uses the alias to hide his identity.

"Instead you have this high-end activity where everyone is working 
together and the idea is to push, push, push."

This multicultural approach has also allowed Vancouver gangs to 
quickly form connections in other cities and are exporting drugs 
nationwide more efficiently than ever.

It seems the cultural melting pot that makes Vancouver such a unique 
city has also laid the framework for a new breed of street gang that 
cares more about the bottom line than turf or allegiances, and 
they're determined to set up shop across the country.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman