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General Trends
Street Gangs are Organized crime
Street gangs are very much a part of the organized crime phenomenon in Canada. While 
street gangs have been in existence for over a century in Canada, their current form began to emerge in the 1980’s, perhaps in conjunction with an overall increase in cocaine smuggling and distribution networks. Currently, street gangs are characterized by their involvement in the street-level trafficking of illicit drugs, in addition to their use of specific gang identifiers and paraphernalia.
Number of Street Gangs
Over 300 street gangs have been identified in Canada, with an estimated 11,000 gang members and associates operating across the country. The gangs are primarily local in scope, with only a limited number having inter-provincial and international criminal links. While some Canadian street gangs identify themselves as Crips or Bloods, these gangs are independent from the U.S.-based Bloods or Crips.
Demographics
One of the main challenges we face is the persistent myth that organized crime is exclusively a big city phenomenon. Intelligence shows that more and more, organized crime has direct implications in some of the smallest communities across Canada. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Ian Atkins, |
Street gangs are primarily comprised of adults between the ages of 20 and 30 years, though some do have members under 18. There are multicultural street gangs as well as those that are ethnically homogeneous. Gang composition is generally determined by the demographics of the community where the gangs are located. Previously, street gangs were primarily concentrated in large urban centres across Canada. However, cells within existing street gangs as well as emerging street gangs are now affecting many other urban centres, rural areas and Aboriginal reserves.
Street Gang Structure
The structure of street gangs tends to be either family/friendship-based or hierarchical in nature. Some hierarchies have multiple cells that facilitate the street-level distribution of illicit commodities, particularly drugs and weapons. Ethnically homogenous gangs tend to operate within a fixed area and are generally found in lower income urban areas. This type of street gang is prevalent in the Prairies, Toronto and Montreal.
Criminal Capabilities
The majority of street gangs across Canada have lower-level criminal capabilities and are primarily involved in street-level crimes, such as drug trafficking or theft. However, several gangs have more sophisticated capabilities and are involved in criminal activities at a higher level than the average street gang. For example, the importation or production of illicit commodities like drugs or counterfeit goods generally requires a higher level of criminal sophistication than street-level crimes.
Violence
While street gang-related violence is not a new phenomenon, a recent increase in gang-related violence is being reported across the country. This violence is often related to street gang expansion, recruitment and encroachment on other criminal groups’ territory. The degree of violence utilized differs by region and gang. Street gang violence may be planned to promote and protect the gang’s interests, such as targeting rival gang members or resources. However, gang violence can also be spontaneous and opportunistic, resulting in intentional or unintentional harm to the general public from drive-by shootings, street gang cross-fire and mistaken identities.
Intimidation
Murder, shootings, assaults, property damage and threats against law enforcement, 
corrections staff, justice personnel and crime witnesses continue to be reported across Canada. The threat of retaliation by the street gang, directed either at the individual involved or that person’s family, has at times impeded the justice system, resulting in withdrawn charges or reduced sentences. Witness intimidation remains a significant law enforcement concern as public fear of street gang retaliation has made some communities fearful of co-operating with police.
Weapons
Members of the Canadian Forces Military Police co-operate with civilian law enforcement in dealing with organized crime activity affecting Canadian communities, particularly those surrounding CF bases and other Defence establishments. Captain (Navy) Steve Moore, Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, Department of National Defence |
Street gangs use a wide variety of weapons across the country including swords, knives, machetes, hammers, screwdrivers and firearms. Illicit firearms used by street gangs are typically acquired through residential or commercial thefts, or are smuggled into the country from the United States. In some instances, street gangs are directly involved in acquiring these illicit firearms, though more often the firearms are acquired indirectly through an illicit firearms trafficker.
Range of Criminal Activities
Street gangs are most prominently involved in illicit drug distribution and the sex trade. Their sex trade involvement nationwide includes street-level prostitution, escort agencies and exotic dancing establishments. Some gangs recruit women, including minors, into the sex trade and transport them to various locations across Canada – sometimes through intimidation and threats of violence. Street gangs are also active in robberies, home invasions and to a lesser extent, fraud, and the counterfeiting of currency and merchandise.
Illicit Drug Distribution
Street gangs are predominantly active as street-level traffickers of crack cocaine, cocaine, 
marihuana and synthetic drugs. Other organized crime groups – like outlaw motorcycle gangs, Italian or Asian criminal groups – generally supply them the illicit drugs. Drug distribution methods and practices vary among street gangs. In Western Canada, street gangs operate mobile, street-level distribution networks commonly known as “dial-a-dope” operations. In contrast, street gangs in Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces tend to use specific locations that are informally designated by the gangs as trafficking zones.
Money Laundering and the Use of Legitimate Businesses
Most profits from street gang criminality are directed towards maintaining a particular lifestyle. A limited number of gangs are involved in money laundering and, to a lesser degree, purchasing legitimate businesses with the proceeds of crime. The majority of these businesses – such as restaurants and clothing stores – are used to advance criminal enterprises or promote gang-related interests.
Exploitation of Correctional Institutions
Some incarcerated gang members are involved in gang recruitment and criminal activities inside federal and provincial correctional institutions, as well as occasionally influencing gang activities outside institutions. Gang members and associates continue to network within the correctional system, transferring information about criminal activities as well as promoting gang interests. In some cases, gang members mature criminally while in prison, demonstrating a greater awareness of law enforcement tactics upon release.
