MONTREAL – On the heels of a United Nations report singling out Canada as being a hotbed of synthetic drug production, Ottawa is turning its attention to the problem in Canada.
The RCMP announced Tuesday it’s reallocating resources to focus on lab drugs, like ecstasy and methamphetamines.
Canada is singled out as a source of such illegal drugs, with organized crime groups like biker gangs and the Asian mafia leading expansion of the trade.
Tuesday’s announcement was long on promises but short on specifics. No dollar amount was provided for the project, and the government says it will be funded by existing programs.
Both Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan travelled to Montreal to make that announcement.
A high-ranking RCMP official says the new focus doesn’t mean the force will turn a blind eye to other drug problems.
“It’s not open season on the other drugs,” said RCMP deputy commissioner Raf Souccar.
“We will be focusing on everything (based) on intelligence priority.”
According to the UN Office on Drug and Crime’s 2009 report, released in June, Canadian-based gangs have significantly upped their production of methamphetamine, destined for the U.S. and southeast Asia.
Since 2003, Canada has emerged as a primary producer of ecstasy for North American markets.
