NCJ Number
131636
Editor(s)
J J M Coutu,
R C Fahlman,
M T O'Sullivan,
J Mogck
Date Published
1990
Length
236 pages
Annotation
The 1988 national drug intelligence estimate of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) shows that illicit drug trafficking and use remain serious problems in Canada.
Abstract
Canada's National Drug Strategy was initiated in 1987; about 70 percent of the strategy's $210 million in funding is devoted to drug education, treatment, and rehabilitation, while the other 30 percent is dedicated to drug enforcement. The national estimate indicates that the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia consolidated its majority share of Canada's heroin market by supplying more than 75 percent in 1988; 79 percent of shipments transported by courier or freight were aboard aircraft, and 9 percent were concealed in parcels or letters forwarded through the postal system. Wholesale expansion of the cocaine industry continued in 1988. The average purity of cocaine at the street level was 60 percent, a 10-percent increase over 1987. The RCMP seized 33 percent more cocaine in 1988 than in 1987, and the number of persons charged with cocaine-related offenses rose by 23 percent. Domestic supply networks continued to dominate the Canadian illicit chemical trade in 1988, although foreign sources remained essential to meet the demand. Clandestine manufacture involved production in both sophisticated and rudimentary laboratories, while prescription drugs and precursor chemicals were obtained illegally from licit medical supply channels. The number of persons charged with chemical drug-related offenses, however, decreased by 20 percent from 1987 to 1988. Marijuana and hashish continued to be the most widely used illicit drugs in Canada during 1988, but there was a net decline in total cannabis seizures. The RCMP's Anti-Drug Profiteering Program focused on tracing drug money and identifying criminally-obtained assets for seizure and forfeiture. A list of major Canadian-related drug seizures for 1988 is included. 43 figures