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There’s something about the way we talk about crime that I’ve always found frustrating.

Whether it’s car theft rings or fentanyl trafficking or targeted killings, we end up having intense political debates about peripheral issues — should we be locking more people up or making it harder to get bail or changing the Youth Criminal Justice Act

But we rarely, if ever, talk about the central issue — money.

Organized crime groups have to set up sophisticated operations to launder their money and put it to use. But today, there exists a shadow financial system that has made it easier than ever for criminals to launder their money with ease. It's cryptocurrency.

And ironically, it’s often the same politicians who run on tough-on-crime agendas — people like Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim or Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — who are simultaneously embracing crypto, the preferred currency of the modern criminal.

What is surprising is how easy it is to turn that crypto into cash. We’re talking about eye-popping sums; hundreds of thousands of dollars at once, without the Canadian government knowing about it.

Featured in this episode: Emma McIntosh (The Toronto Star)

To Learn More:

"Inside Canada’s shadowy crypto banking system that makes it easy to facilitate ‘an unlimited amount of crime'" by Sheila Wang & Emma McIntosh in The Toronto Star

"Crypto giants moved billions linked to money launderers, drug traffickers and North Korean hackers" by Spencer Woodman, Agustin Armendariz, Miguel Fiandor Gutiérrez & Sam Ellefson in The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

"Why Canada is seen ‘as a very weak link’ in the global fight against crypto fraud — and what can be done to fix it" by Emma McIntosh & Sheila Wang in The Toronto Star

"The trail had gone cold for millions in stolen crypto. Then came the ‘aha!’ moment that unlocked the mystery" by Sheila Wang & Emma McIntosh in The Toronto Star