Organized crime initiative renewed

The renewal of an initiative to fight organized crime in Kahnawake will see more than $1.5 million flow to the Peacekeepers over the next two years, an amount that will give the force more ability to keep the community safe, chief Peacekeeper Dwayne Zacharie said.

“It allows us to have a dedicated team of people who focus on organized crime, drugs, and firearms, because they’re all interconnected,” said Zacharie. “Getting the funding approved helps us continue fighting that and helps us continue to build our capacities.”

The funding comes from the First Nations Organized Crime Initiative (FNOCI), a federal project from Public Safety Canada. The initiative provides funding to both the Kahnawake Peacekeepers and to the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, with the goal of increasing each community’s capacity to combat organized crime and enhance partnerships with outside law enforcement agencies who are working to combat criminal activities.

An agreement was first signed with Akwesasne in 2001, with a similar agreement signed with Kahnawake in 2017 that saw $2.5 million over four years provided for the community.

Since then, renewal of the initiative has allowed the Peacekeepers to build intelligence-gathering capabilities, and the extension of the current agreement means funding will continue past March of this year, when the initiative was set to end.

The approval covers funding for an additional two years, and the agreement in its current form is set to expire at the end of 2028.

“At that point, we’re expecting Public Safety Canada to have another envelope of funds available to us to continue to do the work, and we’ll renegotiate an agreement for additional funds,” Zacharie said.

Organized crime can involve highly sophisticated cross-border networks, which smaller forces like the Peacekeepers often don’t have the capacity to combat. The initiative allows Peacekeepers to be trained in information-gathering and investigative skills, which are crucial to keeping the community safe, Zacharie said.

“This type of funding helps us to disrupt organized crime in the territory, it helps us with longevity and succession building, where we continue to gather intel on organized crime and criminal activity, and we can share information with the partners of our choosing,” he said.

He added that the funding allows Peacekeepers to also focus on preventative measures, including education initiatives in local schools.

“We do see the difference. It’s not just the ability to combat organized crime, drugs, and firearms, it’s also the ability to educate people on the effects of organized crime too,” he said.

Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) public safety chief Ryan Montour said it’s reassuring that the funding agreement has been extended.

“We want to be on top of things to weed it out and to have this dedicated unit in Kahnawake with officers specifically combating it is really important,” he said.

Last month, 40-year-old Kyle Chad Grabowski was fatally shot in broad daylight in Kahnawake, an incident that is suspected to be associated with organized crime. Montour said that with incidents like this happening on Kahnawake’s doorstep, it’s more important than ever that the Peacekeepers be at the top of their game in fighting criminal activities.

“It’s an opportune time for it to be extended,” he said.

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