Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia (March 11, 1999– April 1, 2004) was a Crown corporation created as a 'Designated Policing and Law Enforcement Unit' regulated by the British Columbia Police Act and the British Columbia Emergency Program Act. In October 1998, following the recommendations of the Independent Review Committee on Organized Crime, chaired by Stephen Owen
, Attorney General
Ujjal Dosanjh
announced plans for Organized Crime Agency to replace the 'Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit' (CLEU) which was found by the Owen Report to be not sufficiently equipped, mandated, or able to cope with the growing sophistication and diversity of organized crime.
Its mandate is "to facilitate the disruption and suppression of organized crime which affects all British Columbians." Effective April 1, 2004 the agency was integrated with their Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) counterparts to create the federal-led Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - British Columbia which also created the Integrated Gang Task Force (IGTF).
, and four government appointed members.
tablets, 64.7 kilograms of cocaine
, 3,353 pounds of marijuana, and $4 million seized.
The 5-month Project Longhaul in 2003 investigated distribution and transportation of marijuana, ecstasy, and ephedrine from British Columbia to Ontario and the U.S. and resulted in 3,872 pounds of marijuana, 20,000 tablets of ecstasy, and 218.2 kilograms of ephedrine being seized. Project Longhaul II specifically focused on BC Bud
and had 1,595 pounds of marijuana, and 461 marijuana plant clones seized.
Stephen Owen
Stephen Owen, PC is the Vice-President of External, Legal and Community Relations for the University of British Columbia. He is a former Canadian politician....
, Attorney General
Attorney General of British Columbia
The Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia is a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province of British Columbia, Canada...
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
announced plans for Organized Crime Agency to replace the 'Coordinated Law Enforcement Unit' (CLEU) which was found by the Owen Report to be not sufficiently equipped, mandated, or able to cope with the growing sophistication and diversity of organized crime.
Its mandate is "to facilitate the disruption and suppression of organized crime which affects all British Columbians." Effective April 1, 2004 the agency was integrated with their Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) counterparts to create the federal-led Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - British Columbia which also created the Integrated Gang Task Force (IGTF).
Structure
The agency was staffed civilian professionals that specialized in intelligence analysis, law, forensic accounting, computer science and foreign languages. In addition to its sworn police officers, investigators from municipal police departments and the BC-based RCMP detachments were assigned to the agency on 3 to 5 year terms. It was governed by a board which consists of the Deputy Commissioner of RCMP "E" Division, the President of the BC Association of Municipal Chiefs of Police, the President of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police, the Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police DepartmentVancouver Police Department
The Vancouver Police Department is the police force for the City of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several police departments within the Metro Vancouver Area and is the second largest police force in the province after RCMP "E" Division.VPD was the first Canadian police force...
, and four government appointed members.
Operations
In 2002-2003, the agency participated in Project Blizzard with Alberta and U.S. authorities in investigating drug trafficking. This project had 689,000 pseudoephedrinePseudoephedrine
Pseudoephedrine is a sympathomimetic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes. It is used as a nasal/sinus decongestant and stimulant, or as a wakefulness-promoting agent....
tablets, 64.7 kilograms of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, 3,353 pounds of marijuana, and $4 million seized.
The 5-month Project Longhaul in 2003 investigated distribution and transportation of marijuana, ecstasy, and ephedrine from British Columbia to Ontario and the U.S. and resulted in 3,872 pounds of marijuana, 20,000 tablets of ecstasy, and 218.2 kilograms of ephedrine being seized. Project Longhaul II specifically focused on BC Bud
BC Bud
BC Bud is a generic term for several varieties of potent cannabis grown in the Canadian provinceof British Columbia. The term has almost become a brand name, especially in California, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Washington, to where most of the province's cannabis is exported...
and had 1,595 pounds of marijuana, and 461 marijuana plant clones seized.