Workers with the Canada Border Services Agency and Citizenship and Immigration Canada were spied on during an employee-appreciation event in June, according to a government intelligence alert issued the following month.
“While the true purpose of the surveillance is unknown,” such spy tactics are often used by organized crime groups to “better know their adversaries, as well as to target individuals believed to be susceptible to co-option,” according to the memo, issued by a CBSA intelligence officer in the Windsor-St. Clair region of southwestern Ontario.
Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former senior manager and intelligence officer with Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said Tuesday the memo serves as a reminder of the “constant” attempts by high-level organized crime groups to identify and exploit weaknesses in Canada’s border operations.
“It’s not just a bunch of thugs trying to force their way in,” he said.
“They can employ tactics or equipment that match the level of sophistication that law enforcement can employ.”
The CBSA memo, titled “Officer Safety/Awareness,” was issued July 6. The version received by Postmedia News under access to information laws was partially redacted.
It said while CBSA and CIC personnel celebrated National Public Service Week on June 16, “unknown persons” conducted surveillance against those individuals at the event. The method of surveillance was not specified, nor was it clear how the government came to learn about it.
The memo seemed to suggest that the government knows which group the spies belong to, but the name of the group was removed.
While there are no imminent or known threats to CBSA or CIC assets, “personnel should exercise caution when operating in the area,” the memo said.
Esme Bailey, a CBSA spokeswoman, said Tuesday she could not provide any additional information about the case.
“It is not a practice of the CBSA to divulge its intelligence and investigative techniques as doing so could compromise their effectiveness,” she said.
Juneau-Katsuya said it would not surprise him if an outlaw motorcycle gang was behind the spying. They have been known to use such tactics against law enforcement.
He said there are many reasons why organized crime groups conduct such surveillance. They might be trying to gather information on certain workers’ routines and behaviours with the ultimate goal of trying to bribe or exploit them.
It’s also possible they are watching someone they have already recruited or maybe they have succeeded in infiltrating the government and are now watching their mole.
On the same day that CBSA issued the alert about the surveillance, it issued another alert about an upcoming Hells Angels anniversary party being hosted by the Windsor chapter of the motorcycle club.
The memo stated that international members of the Hells Angels and other outlaw motorcycle gangs were expected to try to attend the party and that those members are inadmissible to Canada “on grounds of organized criminality.”
The memo asked border guards to contact CBSA intelligence officers for assistance and guidance if they encountered any identified or suspected outlaw motorcycle gang members.
Postmedia News
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/20/border-agents-spied-on-gangsters-memo-warns/
It said while CBSA and CIC personnel celebrated National Public Service Week on June 16, “unknown persons” conducted surveillance against those individuals at the event. The method of surveillance was not specified, nor was it clear how the government came to learn about it.
The memo seemed to suggest that the government knows which group the spies belong to, but the name of the group was removed.
While there are no imminent or known threats to CBSA or CIC assets, “personnel should exercise caution when operating in the area,” the memo said.
Esme Bailey, a CBSA spokeswoman, said Tuesday she could not provide any additional information about the case.
“It is not a practice of the CBSA to divulge its intelligence and investigative techniques as doing so could compromise their effectiveness,” she said.
Juneau-Katsuya said it would not surprise him if an outlaw motorcycle gang was behind the spying. They have been known to use such tactics against law enforcement.
He said there are many reasons why organized crime groups conduct such surveillance. They might be trying to gather information on certain workers’ routines and behaviours with the ultimate goal of trying to bribe or exploit them.
It’s also possible they are watching someone they have already recruited or maybe they have succeeded in infiltrating the government and are now watching their mole.
On the same day that CBSA issued the alert about the surveillance, it issued another alert about an upcoming Hells Angels anniversary party being hosted by the Windsor chapter of the motorcycle club.
The memo stated that international members of the Hells Angels and other outlaw motorcycle gangs were expected to try to attend the party and that those members are inadmissible to Canada “on grounds of organized criminality.”
The memo asked border guards to contact CBSA intelligence officers for assistance and guidance if they encountered any identified or suspected outlaw motorcycle gang members.
Postmedia News
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/20/border-agents-spied-on-gangsters-memo-warns/
