Cartel-Linked, Armed, and Deadly — But Still No Terror Charges in Canada
If the intent of terrorism law is to protect the public from mass harm, the numbers don’t lie: organized crime is our deadliest terrorist threat.
Canada has quietly become a graveyard for the victims of organized crime. Last year alone, more than 8,000 Canadians died from toxic drug overdoses, with fentanyl driving the majority of those deaths. At the same time, our cities have seen brazen daytime shootings — at airports, outside malls, and on suburban streets. Entire neighbourhoods live with the fallout of organized crime, yet Canada still refuses to classify domestic gangs and syndicates as what they are: terrorist organizations.
The Project Cerberus Case
The hypocrisy was on full display this month. Alberta’s ALERT task force wrapped up Project Cerberus, a two-year investigation that dismantled a massive cross-border cocaine ring tied to Mexican cartels. The bust netted 157 kilograms of near-pure cocaine, worth over $15 million, alongside firearms, vehicles with hydraulic trap systems, and nearly $1 million in cash.
Five Alberta men are facing 31 charges ranging from drug trafficking to money laundering. A sixth was already convicted in the U.S. and handed more than 11 years in prison.
The operation proved what law enforcement has long known but rarely says out loud: Canadian gangs are not independent players. They are the distribution arm of cartels. The coke comes in from Mexico, runs through the U.S., and lands in Canadian cities where it’s cut, distributed, and sold by local syndicates.
Yet despite the scale and sophistication and despite Canada having formally labeled cartels like the Sinaloa and CJNG as terrorist entities in 2024 none of the Canadian men arrested were charged under terrorism or FTO statutes. They’ll face organized crime charges, maybe serve time, maybe cut deals. But they won’t carry the terrorist designation.
They are also all out on bail. Someone asked me, “What does it take to not get bail?”