Police and Canada Post team up to nab booze and drugs bound for Nunavik
Two-month operation led to $1.8 million worth of illicit alcohol and drugs being seized
The Kativik Regional Police Force is working with Canada Post inspectors, Nunavut RCMP and the RCMP’s Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit to keep illegal drugs and alcohol out of Nunavik. (File photo)
A partnership between northern and southern police forces and Canada Post has stopped nearly $1.8 million worth of illegal substances from arriving in Nunavik over the span of two months.
The operation saw the seizure of more than $1 million worth of drugs and $770,000 worth of alcohol during the months of May and October.
The Montreal-based operation involved an investigator and intelligence analyst with the Kativik Regional Police Force and Canada Post inspectors, along with RCMP from Nunavut’s V division and the Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
“The goal of the operation is to reduce the trafficking of illegal substances destined to Nunavik communities,” police chief Jean-Pierre Larose told councillors at the Kativik Regional Government meeting on Nov. 26.
“This operation is also to assist the KRPF with gathering criminal intelligence information to enhance its investigations.”
David Annanack, a regional councillor and the mayor of Kangiqsualujjuaq, said the subject had come up at an all-mayors meeting with Air Inuit the previous week.
That annual gathering, which is hosted by the airline, is meant to provide a chance for the concerns of communities to be brought forward to Air Inuit.
“The people that provide the alcohol and drugs to the communities … it is through the airlines, and we should work together on this,” Annanack said. “We know it will not happen right away, but without discussing it, it will just prolong the problem.”
He said this situation has been going on for far too long and negatively affecting people, especially children.
“As we can see now, the problem is big and we have to deal with this together as organizations,” he said.
Seizures made through Canada Post do not result in charges being laid as the sender is not technically in possession of the substance, said deputy chief of operations Jean-Francois Morin.
“But we are using it for intelligence,” Morin said. “There is work being done behind the scenes.”
On top of what was caught during the Canada Post operation, from January to October, the KRPF seized $427,750 worth of alcohol and $326,997 worth of drugs in Nunavik.
The most common drugs found were marijuana and hash, followed by shatter—a potent cannabis extract. Cocaine, crack and methamphetamine were also collected.
While possession of illegal drugs for the purpose of selling falls under the criminal code, and includes jail time, bootlegging alcohol carries only a fine.
In Nunavik, a bootlegger sees a maximum fine of $300, Larose said. That’s something they’d like to look at amending, he said, as that fine is significantly lower than in other parts of the province.
Booze carries the biggest burden. It allows users to make quick cash, 60$ a Mickey in Kuujjuaq, 70$ in Kuujjuaraapik, 80$ Tasiujaq, 100$ Aupaluk-Quaqtaq, 120$ Wakeham Bay-Salluit and 150$ in Ivujivik. It costs 14-16$ for one mickey in Montreal.
While many think a mickey may not be much in the south, but having to pay ten times the price? Would you wanna share that expensive piece? Nope, You’d wanna get drunk and get your moneys worth right?
Guess where the problem lays?
Even with Beer sales in Kuge and POV, It has still affected many people ranging from Parents, to teenagers, to alcoholic people who all line up at the co-op on payday at 5:00PM.
The problem will never go away, it is a human right to buy alcohol apparently in the rest of Canada once you turn 18 (19 elsewhere). Banning it locally and “going dry” only promotes bootleggers. Sell it yourself, money can go back to the community. Kuge has done it, even with sometimes rotting vegetables and food because Food ain’t the thing bought the most passed few years, more and more thought each year (3 grocery stores in Kuge).
Now, as for drugs. No place to buy weed locally, many people without internet, and not being able to order because they do not have a bank, do not have anything to order with so they choose the fastest form, local purchase. Lowest you can buy is 20$ a gram, with 7 grams being 100-120$. While other communities at “30-40$” a Gram. Cheaper to order, but yet, more convenient to go to the guy in the corner right?
Drugs drugs drugs will always be there. It’s terrible. One of the leading causes of Suicide in Kuujjuaq were people who were high in Speed! Now Cocaine is circling around?!? Come on. That creates huge amounts of distrust and terrible behaviour. AND METH?!?!?! Oh wow, some go desperate for money eh. Meth is the leading cause of skinny ass-Black teeth ass-Narrow minded people. Come on, rotting your brain full blast? Sold to Inuit? And known-as Highly Addictive Crack? Sold to Inuit?
Greed doesn’t stop. Only thing you can really do to stop this, is be a snitch from the inside. Who is going to rat our their uncle? their friends? Come on.
Nothing can be done until someone takes the fall and snitches and works hard at busting all these people. Liquor itself can cause dramatic effects. Violence, shootings, Alcohol Poisoning, people freeze outside. Thats where the true problems lay. I rather have local beer sales in EACH Community than random white dudes profiting off of Inuit suffering. Rather have Inuit shareholders be responsible for Inuit Suffering. Stop it with “Anglican” views and dry communities. Not one community is dry. Look at the bigger picture, create AA and help groups before you do so. Have someone take the fall implementing that, taking care of referendums and hiring RELIABLE security.
Long overdue, and way passed asking for permission from many Youth. Come on, have some smarts in to there. It’s 2019 and these same old problems will only continue if the same old elected officials grow more and more white hair with the same problems! Inuit can change everything if all worked together in combating this. Hard liquor, strong drugs have no place in Nunavik. Wake up and take charge.
Thats a long old speech. Reminds of some inuit on local radio talking on and on and on again, no one really listening. Maybe good , maybe bad. Same for your speech. Those that need to hear it most , dont listen, or cant read a word. Makes it like barking up a tree and no animal up there for the predators. One thing i do agree with, and that’s encouraging people to turn in the drug dealers. Also, what you preach, im hoping you walk the talk each day. Live it, as well as preaching it. Tha death toll in the communities and more so in kuge is so incredible since the days of co-op beer sales and the local bar opening! Its too bad theres not a class action lawsuit compensation to all the families who have lost love ones on the profits to the bar and the co-op. All the people that have died from not having the ability to digest alcohol into their body! Other than destruction. Maybe the co-op and the bar should pay the profits back to the people anyway.
Well thought out proposition. I agree. I’d take it a step further to normalize access by having local organizations like either coops or landholdings be SAQ and SQDC affiliates, removing bootlegging and drug dealing and normalizing our access to legally obtainable products at the same price as in Montreall. SAQ should sell a product here at the same price as Dorval shopping malls SAQ. $15 mickey instead of $120.
In Canada, we have the right to be drunks if we want, we have the right to choose for ourselves.
Not in Nunavik. Prohibition doesn’t work.
In agreement to having same prices for alcohol as south. But, cautioned with rights to be a drunk. Not really so, unless you’re in privacy of your home or private property. Drunks can be arrested in public! Which should be more of in Nunavik. Stop this same old hanging around the stores when drunk. Drunk driving is notoriously dangerous in Nunavik. Thats not a right. Buying beer and wine at the co-op when drunk needs to stop too. Get guards there who are not afraid of drunks, saw it in pov on social media before , guard not afraid. Prohibition doesnt work, but look at the death toll in puvirnituq and kuujjuaq, with beer and wine sales, prohibition or not, its the same. Why do people roam about when they have a few drinks! Bothering others?
Great work police. Go get them. There are several significant dealers around Nunavik waiting for their orders to come in. Can’t wait to see the culprits in the cage.
I agree with you thanks to Police comments!
It’s about time to clean up what’s not good for our health and minds!
I support Police Officers doing the work, and it is heavy work preparing the investigations is a lot of work.
Atii go, saputjivungali niaquqatsiangittuiit amisualuulirmata aangajaannatuup pijaanut!
Yes, get the drug dealers off the streets, put them in a jail. Let them rot for all I care. They already contributed to many deaths. But when it comes to alcohol, the real cause of destructive behaviour, it doesn’t matter if communities are wet ,dry or indifferent. Too many Inuit in a population of Nunavik can’t drink any more than 2 or 3 beers or drink. They go lunatic. Beat and abuse their family, drive drunk, get injured and medivac, go to jail over and over and over again. Can’t handle it. No good. The Nunavik population is devastated because of alcohol. If leaders want todo something, campaign to let people be more aware of this illness of metabolism.
This needs to happen too in Nunavut–too many bad outcomes due to drugs and alcohol! Good on Nunavik to be proactive and happy holidays to you all.
Marijuana isn’t a drug, it’s a plant, a herb.. god creation..
Thats like saying shrooms arent a drug, or tobacco, or coffee… Anything is a drug if it can create a bad habit. Watching parents spend half their child-tax benefit on weed definitely makes weed a drug. Like we learned in school, everything in moderation…
God created everything. He even created the devil. Marijuana isn’t a drug, like beer isn’t either, its happy tea, or sad tea, depending on your ability to process it. What difference does it make if its a drug, food, or chewing gum. Its sure does the job on a lot of people when they use it. It sure got a kick to it. It sure keeps the police and medical staff busy. It sure hurts our children. It sure takes some peoples last dollar, or makes some people take elders money. It keeps people from showing up to work. Marijuana isn’t a drug. Many misconceptions about marijuana. Thinking that its harmless is dangerous within itself. It causes all kinds of problems. Ok, you cant overdose on it like alcohol, but let me assure you, there are overwhelming visits to the emergency department for the trouble it causes. Its still abused and addictive. I think god would have to agree with me.
The poppy and coca are also plants and God’s creations but that doesn’t mean that Cocaine, Heroin and Morphine are.
The agreements for KRPFs was not licensed to bust or investigate. They weren’t even allowed to do investigations and arrest the person. The KRPF can be challenged in superior court. They can be overturned by court. They are busting and investigating when they don’t have the license to do so. Take them to court and the KRPF will have no choice but to back off.
Canada Post should be challenged in court for discrimination. Nobody else in Canada is subject to unlawful searches and seizures.
Discrimination is about being treated differently than normal. Our elected officials discriminate against our freedom of choice. They don’t have the right to discriminate but they have power to do it and they do discriminate. Canada post allows this discrimination to continue.
Having the power to control doesn’t make it legal.
Canada post and the police can have access to my mail anytime they want, i dont care. I have nothing to hide. I wouldnt otherwise say that , but in Nunavik society, im happy that the police are aware that there are goodies at the post office. Go get them. There should be more access for the police in Nunavik, due to death toll from drugs and alcohol. Saving life is priceless and they need to search more. The smell of cannabis at the post offices these days are stoneful.
If krpf gets into court with some drug dealer, im quite confident the book will be thrown at the drug dealer. I hope so. Krpf got more support than law beakers think they have. They have support of lots of the population of Nunavik too. This negativity you hear sometimes about our police are nothing more than someones beef with a good job the police have done.
My grounds to initiate legal action against Canada Post and possibly KRPF (not sure yet on this parties responsibility) is called “profiling” as per the Quebec human rights tribunal documents. Document state:
“Profiling also includes any action of persons in authority who apply a measure disproportionately to segments of the population, especially by reason of their being part of a group contemplated by one of the grounds listed in section 10 of the Charter.”
End discrimination. Respect others right to choose. It is ok to be different in Canada, Quebec and Nunavik. Persons of authority who apply a measure disproportionately to segments of the population have to be stopped.
Profiling also more specifically stipulates:
Profiling designates any action taken by one or more persons in authority, for safety, security or public protection reasons, in regard to a person or group of persons, according to actual or presumed factors of affinity (such as race, colour, political convictions, ethnic or national origin, religion, or social condition), with no real ground or reasonable suspicion, and that has the effect of exposing the person to examination or differential treatment.
This is not profiling in the sense of racism or otherwise. Since when does a drug dealer get into that kind of protective rights? This is plain and simple, and we demand it, go after them krpf,go go. You have so much support. Thank you.
We have tried telling the cops that their is this person bootlegging with like a hundred or so 26ozers on hand. We’ve been told, that they don’t have proof. I am wishing that our mouth could become proof that is before another is dead, medivaced…and gee,,,, all else.
Let’s watch the results and see what happens.
Lets see this will actually happen searching at Canada Post, and who carries dirty hands smelly rotten marijuana, speed pills to kill innocent young people even adult people.
Go for it KRPF Police and Canada Post, before people becomes vegetable in their brains and become skidzerfrenic, learn drugs what they do to human blood cells and vains, go learn health!
For those who got distracted in getting their medicine by the institution remember they have already started the process of violating your constitutional rights therefore know that you will be able to sue Kativik Regional government, Canada post, and royal Canada mounted police, for multi million dollars make sure when you sue them its not a small amount so they will learn or run out of budget to ever do this again
Stop using Marijuana as medicine, it’s a f n drug still destroying innocent brain, brain cells, burning blood veins, triple time damaging lungs more than a regular cigarettes do.
Many young people depending on their grandparents on their own little monthly money, that don’t even pay off a rent, daily meals, even abusing their grandparents sometimes to their parents, when lacking marijuana they have short tempered minds.
A real medicine comes from prescribed medications from your local nursing, or hospital pharmacy!
Your under total control by the eletes lol go to prescription lol cannibis is natural herb you don’t even know what they put in those phama drugs and you apparently never even studied to the uses of cannabis with human body and its too bad that you are limited to what you are told or heresay
So abusing grandparents & Parents over f n cannabis marijuana is ok?! by using their only monthly pensions, delaying their house rent payments, and letting them being hungry until their next monthly pension arrives is ok?!
Science has proven – and all major scientific and medical organizations agree – that marijuana is both addictive and harmful to the human brain, especially when used as an adolescent. One in every six 16-year-olds who try marijuana will become addicted to it. And if an adolescent has a genetic predisposition for schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder, using marijuana as their brain continues to develop can increase the risk of that disorder.
To states some facts.
The medical unit in your community went to university for a minimum of 4 years in that purpose. Hope you can stand up to that minimum to say that you have better knowledge or that they don’t have knowledge of what is in the product.
Krpf should alert revenue canada and revenue quebec about the amount of material certain individuals got. Such as trucks boats and houses. Noting that its way out of proportion to their regular income. One such person in kuujjuaq with a very modest income has built several houses and sold them, brought very expensive boats into kuujjuaq, and has another house that he lives in with lots of toys by his house. The same person has a sister in a high position. Everyone knows who he is.. its kind of ridiculous. Hes the same person that has ties to many other Nunavik community with drugs.
What are you saying?
Are you for real?
The truth will be known!
Kuujjuaq is a small town.
I hope things improve.
Now is the time for change!
Someday we will succeed!
What kind of comment are you trying to make? I would otherwise ignore such a comment as that, but i think people should be made aware of the confused thinking that dominates many in Nunavik , such as is with your comment. It’s totally and utterly screwed up, makes no sense whatsoever. In discussing Nunavik , as we are here, its all small towns with a deep drug and alcohol problem, should i say as indicated by your way of confused thinking like yours.
What that guy is saying is true. Every community has some who is an untouchable. Even with the busts, some traffickers will do business as usual.
What’s confusing here is which comment is in response to which other comment. Bill responded to “toys and houses”. Brain dead responded to “bill”. But who is “true “responding to?
I applaud work the RCMP to confiscate the alcohol and/or drugs that go to any community. As it has killed so many in dry Communities. It may make you look rich (have new skidoos, boats) without a job, but on income support. Something wrong with the picture. Alcohol has done accidental fatalities which leave children without a mother or a father, and effects them the rest of their life. Keep it up RCMP. It’s the medical patients mostly bring back alcohol coming from down south.
Supply and Demand, simple economics. Demand has always been there and the supply low, thus creating a vacuum for bootlegging. If there were so much supply, what would happen? The demand would go down. The society will never let Inuit advance so the status quo will always stay the same. Keep Inuit in a state of burden and suffering. If only there were so much of alcohol available to go around, people would get disgusted just by looking at them. Supply and Demand.
Any suffering by any Inuit, is also caused by Inuit. Supply is low because many people cant handle the stuff. They too lunatic with a few cans. Demand is high because those that crave it are non motivated individuals that will neglect their families to get it. Its not really alcoholics per say, just unmotivated people that are letting themselves and their family and community down. Society will never let Inuit advance. Advance to what?