Canada's Gang Crisis: Foreign Criminals Exploit Immigration and Justice Systems

Canada's Gang Crisis: Foreign Criminals Exploit Immigration and Justice Systems

British Columbia is grappling with a severe escalation of gang violence, as foreign criminals exploit weaknesses in Canada's immigration and justice systems. This crisis has prompted sweeping emergency responses from government officials at multiple levels.

Emergency Government Responses

This week, British Columbia Premier David Eby announced the appointment of an extortion czar to address the worsening problem of violent extortions. Former Mountie Paul Dadwal will lead a new community advisory committee designed to bridge the gap between community members and police regarding frequent instances of businesses being shaken down for cash by gangsters.

This represents just the latest in a series of dramatic public gestures by government officials reacting to news that Canada is increasingly losing control of a major city to organized crime elements.

Federal and Municipal Actions

In September, the federal government designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—an organized crime group from India linked to many alleged extortions—as a terrorist entity. Last week, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree deployed two RCMP helicopters to help stem the crisis.

In late January, Surrey City Council called for their community to be placed under a state of emergency, highlighting the severity of the situation facing this British Columbia municipality.

Systemic Vulnerabilities Exploited

The extortion crisis reveals two fundamental problems that are worsening crime across Canada:

1. Foreign criminals have been able to exploit a porous and overwhelmed Canadian immigration system
2. The justice system is proving chronically unable to either deport these foreign criminals or keep them detained

The result is that Surrey, British Columbia now faces persistent threats, shootings, and arsons by criminals predominantly targeting the South Asian community.

Escalating Violence and Tactics

Criminals are sending crudely worded demands for cash to homes and businesses, with violence following any refusal to pay. When these attacks began emerging in 2023, the B.C. RCMP circulated an example of a typical extortion letter—a sheet of paper topped with the word "WARNING" that explained "we are Indian gang members, we want our share from your business like protection money."

The letter continued with the threat: "we have links all over do not ignore us, it will efect you realy bad."

Initially targeting small businesses like auto shops, the extortions have recently expanded to more brazen targets including local media. The studios of Surrey's Swift 1200 AM were targeted by a shooting attack last September.

Recent Acceleration of Attacks

Since the beginning of the new year, the attacks have dramatically accelerated. Nearly every day in 2024 has seen Surrey Police announce some new shooting, threat, or arson attack believed to be perpetrated by extortionists.

On January 19, Surrey Police announced they were investigating a business in the city's East Cloverdale neighbourhood that had been peppered by gunfire overnight. The very next day, a nearly identical release concerned a business in the city's Newton neighbourhood being hit by gunshots.

This pattern of daily violence underscores the urgent nature of the crisis facing Canadian communities and the systemic vulnerabilities being exploited by organized criminal elements from abroad.