Feds list organized crime groups as terrorist entities to fight fentanyl trafficking [Video]

Seven transnational criminal organizations are being listed as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code to fight fentanyl trafficking, the federal government announced Thursday.

The move is the Liberal government’s latest measure to bolster security and policing in response to American criticism.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose widespread tariffs on Canadian products, citing the southbound flow of migrants and drugs, including fentanyl.

U.S. border patrol statistics show that less than one per cent of fentanyl seized is found at the northern border. But Canadian officials have expressed a willingness to do more to combat the deadly synthetic opioid.

A listed terrorist group is not banned and being listed is not a crime. But the designation effectively freezes a group’s assets and property, which can be subject to seizure or forfeiture.

It is also an offence to knowingly participate in, or contribute to, any activity of a listed terrorist …