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Reorganized crime

BRUCE LIVESEY

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 5:10 AM EST 27/10/08

Our Mafia and Hells Angels have grown in a nice, co-operative Canadian way. Now, big-time crime is run so much like a business that the boundary between legit and crooked is beginning to blur ...Read the full article

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  1. FOODY FOODY FOREVER from CHICAGO, Canada writes: The US government should use these guys the Hells Angels to bail out the countrys economy , seems to me the so called criminals are more astute then those who are business men
  2. lary waldman from qualicum Beach, Canada writes: The thing I like about gangsters, is they only kill people who deserve it. They generally do not want to attract attention to themselves, with the exception of the Hells angels, who you rarely see fitted out in the dress when conducting business alone. They are just kids who really loved Hallowean, nothing more. And the fact that they dress up, goes completely against most gangsters actions, who seem to like being ghosts. Every year in British Columbia, millions perhaps billions of dollars are spent, that cannot be attributed to earned wages. Yes we do have visitors that spend money, and yes there are transactions where by people receive funds out of the jurisdiction, but nobody can explain how we buy all that stuff, when the money to acquire it is not being earned here. I well tell you how, Millions if not Billions of dollars are being made here, and they are not being reported to Revenue Canada. What a surprise! We should also not loose sight of the hundreds of business's that on their own would not generate adequate income to support the staff and expenses, but mysteriously make the payroll, and deposit giant sums of money in the bank. After all it is a cash business. ATM, those automated machines you see everywhere, who do you think stuffs them full of money. Organized crime that's who. Stuff them with their dirty cash, and get a credit from Visa or what ever credit granting agency that happens to be accepted. We are all a party to this activity, and you know what, if you keep to your own business, you will likely never be harmed by these people. Now the criminals from third world countries, that's another story, because they a culturally ignorant, and don't have the same notion of the value of a life. That is why I would rather have the Hells Angels handle my pot , then someone from a country where life is as close to meaningless as you can get.

    Lary Waldman
  3. Abraham Kuhn from Canada writes: This is a distorted view. The reality is that Big Business is being run more like Organized Crime.
  4. The Central Screwtinizer from Ottawawa, Canada writes: Have HAMC manage the business of selling 'legalized' pot out of 'Smoke' shops throughout Canada (they do it anyways!) and provide a GST/PST tax payment in addition to an income tax payment to Canada Revenue Agency(who may be laundering it anyway!)...more $billions$ to assist the poor and the hungry and destitute (who may smoke it anyway!)...think outside the box folks! Pot is likely Canada's No.1 cash crop and the Governemnt is out of the loop except for the folks who are the 'payroll' of course. Think of the freed up budget monies and time trying to catch these guys which could be diverted to more serious crime.
  5. Norm Albert from Canada writes: Yep and that is just the Hell's Angels and the Mafias part in all this.
    Makes you kind of wonder who else plays along.
    Doesn't really make a lot of sense to put all this time and resources into crime detection and prevention only to have the rate of conviction and punishment a laughing issue. Investigator, prosecutors, jurors, witnesses and judges lay it all on the line for the sake of a traffic violation sentence at best.
  6. ex banker from Halifax, Canada writes: Hey, as twisted and genius as these gangsters are they are nowheres near as clever as those financial whizes who created the ABCP market, securitized commercial paper and other financial wizardry that is bringing down the world's capital markets at present.

    Money laundering Wall Street style: someone buys a house using a mortgage, mortgage gets repackaged as a securitized note, gets sold off as a safe investment, borrowed against once more and those funds used to lend out to more unwitting home buyers and the cycle gets repeated many times over until house prices crash, exposing all the rot. Money laundering at it's finest.
  7. T D from Canada writes: I guess it's a matter of perspective that determines which label you get, legitimate business, or organized crime.

    My guess would be if organized crime spent more money advertising, they too may get the more palatable moniker legitimate business.

    I forgot, this is how it works ..........
  8. The Objectivist from toronto, Canada writes: stupid Canada, if you don't want organized crime, take away their reason for existing; remover the prohibition on drugs. any thinking person knows that prohibition does not reduce substance abuse or addiction rates - some messed up kid out there about to try crack or heroin backs away because at the last minute the remember its against the law? Come on, how ridiculous. The only way to reduce substance abuse is through education and PR - look at how effective its been with smoking. Taking a harsher view; the government is complicit with organized crime; it only exists as does today as a direct result of government policy on drugs.

    If there is no victim, why is it consider a crime? oh some yahoo will say look at all the sad sack stories coming out of drug addiction, of course there's victims. True, but it was bad irresponsible choice on behalf of the user that creates the undesirable result...... Really its the users the let themselves, loved ones and society down. The victims come from the user's bad choices not drugs and prohibition does not bring about their making better choices. No, the only effect of prohibition is a wealthy criminal supply chain.
  9. Prairie Boy from Canada writes: Hell's Angels don't have bad commercials and government subsidies.
  10. Duncan K from Canada writes: Re Prairie Boy: They sure do have subsidies. We pay billions to enforce their market monopoly and elevated profits on drugs.
  11. That OTHER Guy from Toronto, Canada writes: Great! Let's have organized crime run things like they do in Russia, say you want to open a company; first you apply for a permit, then pay a bribe so it's processed, then pay a bribe so it's approved, then agree to pay a percentage to the local mob. Oopsy! Now you've run out of money. The main distorting effect of organized crime is corruption, it adds billions in costs for everyone and endangers everyone, say one of those airport workers allows in a few hundred kilos of plastic explosives? Those who glamorize criminals are cretins who smoke too much dope.
  12. john shantz from Canada writes: Beats me how we outlaw recreational drugs but have no laws covering abortion at 8.5 months.
  13. Vancouver Island Voice from Canada writes: john shantz from Canada writes: Beats me how we outlaw recreational drugs but have no laws covering abortion at 8.5 months.

    It's clear to me who is on drugs John.

    Better get your facts straight. I thinking your smoking too much of the good stuff.
  14. Compos Mentis from Toronto, Canada writes: lary waldman from qualicum Beach, Canada writes: The thing I like about gangsters, is they only kill people who deserve it.
    **************************************
    How completely typical, to absolve your own complicity and guilt in the deaths of innocents, with such a shallow, contemptuous statement. Ask the family of Jane Creba and Marc Dube what they think about your comment. The fact is, it is people who make the decision to engage in illicit activities, such as smoking marihuana and using other drugs, that promote the use of violence by these gangsters. Simply put, the stain of the blood of the innocents is on your hands and is just as much your responsibility as the thugs who pulled the trigger or those who planted the bombs and no amount of denial will wash away the truth of that!
  15. truth betold from Canada writes: So smoking dope is equal to drive-by shooting someone?

    You ought to change your handle to NON Compos Mentis because you are brain dead.
  16. Paul Byer from Canada writes: The Objectivist from toronto, Canada writes: stupid Canada, if you don't want organized crime, take away their reason for existing; remover the prohibition on drugs. any thinking person knows that prohibition does not reduce substance abuse or addiction rates -

    ............................................................................................................

    Wow. Now that's thinking. And while we are at it, lets make child pornography, murder, bank robbery all legal. That way we can save the taxpayers big time for jails and STATS CAnada won't have any crime to report. Tourism will be great for a country with no crime.

    Take your head out of the sand. Victimless crime? Ask all the families that have spouses and kids hooked on these nice drugs like meth, crack and cocaine.
  17. mynalee johnstone from saltspring island, Canada writes: Corporate crime is costing us trillions.
  18. Richard F from Vancouver Island, Canada writes: "Mynalee Johnstone from saltspring island, Canada writes: Corporate crime is costing us trillions."

    Well Mynalee....Richard says.. corporate crime is making 'others' trillions.... And as the BC Lottery Commission ads say.... "Are You In"?

    The BC Bud gro-op industry in BC is bigger than the fruit/wine making industry in the Oakanagan Valley, and it doesn't have all those insane regulations nor the BCLCB inspectors breathing down their necks. With BC Bud you get busted and it's all over...but until then.... Not advocating a career growing BC Bud but that's the harsh reality of how things work...

    Sadly in some communities growing Bud IS the main industry...you gotta know when some guy walks into a car dealership with a suitcase full of cash and buys, or leases a new $60grand SUV. You can bet that no questions are asked.

    Then there is this young 20 something Vietnamese guy I recently saw... constantly talking on the cellphone and anxiously looking out into the street, had a gold bracelet and chain, a mind blowing pinky finger ring, and drove a new Beamer... oh yeah... I'm sure he works at McDonalds ...doesn't he?

    Oh by the way...the food at that Vietnamese restaurant was excellent.... I'll probably be back.

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