What is organized crime?
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According to the Criminal Code of Canada (Section 467.1), a criminal organization:
- is a group of three or more persons and
- whose main purposes or activities include facilitating or committing one or more serious offences for the benefit of the group, or for any persons within the group.
It does not include a group of persons that forms randomly for the immediate commission of a single offence.
The impact of organized crime
Organized crime affects the daily lives of Canadians in many ways. Some examples include:
- the taxes you pay (tax revenue losses from contraband tobacco and alcohol and illicit cannabis)
- auto insurance premiums (higher auto insurance due to vehicle thefts by organized crime groups)
- banking fees (banks recovering fraud costs)
- health and safety (violence, faulty counterfeit goods, illicit cannabis grow operations, clandestine drug labs)
- corruption of public and private sector employees
Rapid advances in technology contribute significantly to how and where organized crime groups operate. New and evolving communication technology allows criminal organizations to collaborate across borders nationally and internationally as well as online.
Canadians may be targets or victims of organized crime groups from around the world (through internet scams, phishing emails, identity theft, illicit gambling websites, for example).
If you believe you have been targeted by a scam or fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
The RCMP is committed to working with Canadian and international partners to combat organized crime both within Canada and abroad.
Plans and priorities
The RCMP aims to:
- disrupt illicit markets
- share intelligence with partners and collaborate with enforcement units at the municipal, national, and international levels
- maintain a current understanding of organized crime trends to prioritize investigations
- provide scientific and technical support to enhance investigative abilities
- promote public awareness of the impacts of organized crime and its illicit activities
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