The report Organized Crime in the Yukon: An Examination of Criminal Networks and associated Impact done by Criminal Intelligence Service British Columbia / Yukon reveals that the illegal drug trade is more expansive and lucrative that previously believed.
Organized crime groups in Alberta and British Columbia have expanded their drug trade into the Yukon, according to the RCMP report released on March 13.
CISBC/YT identified five Organized Crime Networks operating in the Yukon between 2020 and 2024.
The full report, which was completed in December 2024, won’t be released by RCMP to the media or the public due to “sensitive information” it contacts, say RCMP.
“The work of Criminal Intelligence Service British Columbia / Yukon is not only critical to the regional intelligence picture but also to the National view via the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada,” said Chief Superintendent Lindsay Ellis, Commanding Officer Yukon RCMP. “As the Provincial / Territorial Advisory Council Chair, I look forward to seeing the future work of the Service to aid all Yukoners in understanding the impact of organized crime with a concerted effort to reduce and prevent the impact in our communities.”
The impact of organized crime touches many facets of our society, and this report provides important insights into the influence it has on our territory, our communities and our most vulnerable populations. We will continue to tackle the root causes of organized criminal activity through the RCMP and the support of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Unit, crime prevention initiatives, social and health programs, and the people of the Yukon.
“It is imperative that we continue to work collaboratively to establish a way forward in order to have the biggest impact on organized crime and the effects it has on the Substance Use Health Emergency,” said Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee. “We are thankful to the work of Criminal Intelligence Service BC/Yukon and Yukon’s M Division for all the work they do in helping achieve these goals.”
Illicit markets in the Yukon operated by Organized Crime have overtaken the costs and harms associated to alcohol and tobacco; the predominant costs and harms observed involve substance use:
-In 2024, lost productivity – a measure of potential human capital for a person’s working years – associated to opioid overdose deaths and the illicit drug market isestimated to have cost $58.9 million, or the equivalent of $1,273 per capita in the Yukon; this does not take into consideration health, criminal justice, or other costs
-In 2021, illegal drug toxicity deaths in the Yukon occurred at a rate of 53.5 /100,000 which exceeded the rate in British Columbia, the leading province / territory;illicit drugs and other controlled substances most commonly associated to these deaths included opioids, cocaine and benzodiazepines
-In 2024, this number has dropped to 37.8 / 100,000 however, the costs are more likely diffused into the other categories and not reduced significantly
-Illegal drug toxicity deaths in the Yukon have fallen since 2021, however there has been a linear rise in Emergency Department visits related to overdoses
-It is assessed that opioids, and illicit drugs in general, have overtaken alcohol as the most significant contributor to early deaths in the Yukon.
The cost associated to illicit drugs in the Yukon were estimated at $223 million in 2021, are expected to rise and could total over ~$245 million by 2026.
Cocaine is the most prevalent illicit drug being consumed in the Yukon. It is estimated that 15 to 20 kilograms of cocaine is being trafficked into the Yukon per month.
In 2024, large cocaine seizures in the Yukon will have temporarily disrupted Organized Crime supply chains and may be contributing to the reduced number of drug related deaths so far this year. Government funding put into policing and other harm reduction programs for 2024 appear to be having a positive effect. Yet the Yukon has had the lowest per-capita costs associated to policing compared with Canada’s other Territories, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
The Criminal Intelligence Service of British Columbia and Yukon (CISBC/YT) is a law enforcement intelligence agency comprised of employees from municipal, provincial, and federal law enforcement bodies.
CISBC/YT completes threat assessments specific to Organized Crime, for the purpose of providing senior executives with intelligence to support combating Organized Crime at the provincial / territorial level. CISBC/YT has provided this report to the Commanding Officer of Yukon RCMP.
