Crime
Why is Trump threatening Canada? The situation is far worse than you think!
From LifeSiteNews
By Frank Wright
Multiple reports are proving that Donald Trump’s claims that Canada’s lax approach to fentanyl poses a grave threat is even worse than the U.S. president has stated.
(LifeSiteNews) — A report from the Dana Cambole Show gives a sensational explanation on why U.S. President Donald Trump seems to have Canada in his sights. Her guest on the ITM Trading Channel is the Canadian investigative journalist Samuel Cooper, who says: “Canada has become a node of Chinese infiltration and organized crime activity – especially in Vancouver.”
His bold claim buttresses the accusations made by Trump that the U.S. faces a crisis on its northern border. On February 1, Trump issued an executive order titled, “Imposing Duties to Arrest the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border”
In it, Trump said his measures to impose punishing trade tariffs were to address the “challenges” presented by the “Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers, and illicit drugs of all kinds [which] have poured across our borders and into our communities.”
He said the Canadian government had failed in its duty to address these issues.
“Canada has played a central role in these challenges, including by failing to devote sufficient attention and resources or meaningfully coordinate with United States law enforcement partners to effectively stem the tide of illicit drugs.”
Is Trump ‘invading’ Canada?
These bold claims have been interpreted as a means of dictating to – or even “annexing” Canada. This has “soured relations” with Canadians, as the Chinese Toronto-based journalist Kevin Jiang reports.
Some critics argue Trump is not serious about fentanyl or crime, and is simply undermining Canadian sovereignty and even threatening to “invade” Canada.
So, is what Trump says about Canada’s crime and border problem true?
Canada has become a Chinese drug production hub
Cooper says it is. After “ten years researching” he has written a book arguing that Chinese Communist party officials, businessmen and drug traffickers have “established a production hub in Canada.”
Called “Wilful blindness: how a network of narcos tycoons and CCP agents have infiltrated the West,” its cover illustrates what Cooper sees as the center of a network of Chinese corruption and crime.
“The cover shows a graphic photo of Vancouver on a world map with fentanyl pills exploding out of Vancouver going around the world.”
“Vancouver has become a production hub for China and a trans-shipment hub for fentanyl precursors.”
Cooper says that whilst he is “not pleased with Donald Trump’s rhetoric,” he maintains, “This gets to what Donald Trump is saying.”
“It’s hard for many people to believe that Canada could be put in the same category as Mexico in terms of endangering the United States with fentanyl, illegal immigration and human trafficking,” Cooper says, before adding “…but my research has showed that indeed this is the fear and concern of the U.S. intelligence Community, military and law enforcement.”
Decades of Canadian weakness
How has this happened? Cooper says the problem has been brewing for years.
“For decades Canada’s weak enforcement against transnational crime weak, and control of borders has allowed international organized crime with linkages to hostile States – most specifically China but also Iran.”
His claims seem astonishing, and yet recent news reports all support his – and Trump’s – conclusions.
The biggest fentanyl superlab in the world
The top story on the Vancouver Sun today is the discovery of the biggest fentanyl factory in Canadian history. The owner, who is Canadian, did not name the tenants who used his property to build “Canada’s largest ever fentanyl superlab.”
“The Abbotsford man who owns the Falkland property where Canada’s largest-ever fentanyl superlab was discovered in October says he was just the landlord and unaware of what was going on there.”
David Asher, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said it was in fact the largest fentanyl production site in the world, and was certainly linked to “Chinese organized crime.”
Speaking to Rosemary Barton on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Asher explained on February 9, “I think they are sitting on a big scandal here. How many other labs do you think they have going?”
Largest fentanyl lab ever discovered (superlab) busted in Vancouver. Chinese organized crime likely or Iran. Unreal, 100 million doses shipped South to NW US on ships through our ports that have no law enforcement… pic.twitter.com/hd7251emYm
— Special Situations 🌐 Research Newsletter (Jay) (@SpecialSitsNews) February 10, 2025
Asher, who has advised the U.S. State department on countering money laundering and terrorism financing, claimed “there’s very little border enforcement going on” in Canada, dismissing claims by the Canadian media that Canada’s cross-border drug trafficking into the U.S. was insignificant compared to that of Mexican cartels on the U.S. southern border.
Asher further claims that Mexican cartels are in fact transporting drugs by ship to Canada to be trafficked into the U.S., because “you have almost no port enforcement with police.”
In response to allegations made by the Trump administration that there is a security crisis on the northern border of the U.S., Canada has appointed a “fentanyl Czar,” promised to share more intelligence with the U.S., and said it is stepping up police checks and border controls.
These measures led to the 30 day “pause” of the threatened tariffs on Canadian trade with the U.S.
Canadian law is ‘crazy’
So what’s the U.S. government’s problem with Canada?
Asher praises the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but says the problem is Canadian law. Specifically, “The Stinchcombe Law” – a landmark ruling which Asher says means the Canadian police have to inform criminals they are watching them.
“Basically every time we try to go up on a phone number in Canada almost all the money laundering network is tied to China – and 90% percent of all the money laundering in the United States is tied to Canada.”
“So when we try to go up on those numbers with your police they have to inform the person that we are targeting that we are targeting their number. That’s crazy. How can we run an undercover police operation with your country?”
Asher explains why claims in the media that low seizure rates of fentanyl from Canada do not give the real story.
“Which is why we don’t run them. Which is why the seizure statistics are so low. We don’t even try to work with Canada because your laws are distorted.”
Asher recommends the passing of a RICO act – which he says “I think you’re going to do,” adding this will “solve these problems” in permitting law enforcement to correctly designate these networks as “criminal and racketeering operations” – and as a form of “terrorism.” Asher, together with Cooper, says Iran is also involved in drug trafficking in Canada.
When asked whether fentanyl and money laundering are the “real reason” for Trump’s threats, Asher said, “yes,” concluding: “Our countries are getting killed by fentanyl. We gotta protect ourselves.”
The Supreme Court of Canada appears to agree, ruling last December that constitutional privacy can be violated to address the national “opioid crisis.”
Massive money laundering operation
Is there any basis in reality for Asher’s claims on the scale of money laundering from Canada? Reports on the actions of the second biggest bank in Canada would suggest there is.
Last May Canada’s Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank was hit with the largest fine in history for money laundering, initially being ordered to pay around 9 million dollars.
In October 2024, following an investigation of its U.S. operations, TD Bank agreed to pay 3 billion dollars in fines. It had been found in one case to have “…facilitated over $400 million in transactions to launder funds on behalf of people selling fentanyl and other deadly drugs.”
Reuters reported the bank had “…failed to monitor over $18 trillion in customer activity for about a decade, enabling three money laundering networks to transfer illicit funds through accounts at the bank.” Employees had “openly joked” about the “lack of compliance “on multiple occasions.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on May 3, 2024 that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was conducting an “investigation into TD Bank’s internal controls” which “focuses on how Chinese crime groups and drug traffickers used the Canadian lender to launder money from U.S. fentanyl sales.”
Reuters added how TD Bank’s “internal controls” had came under investigation, “since agents discovered a Chinese criminal operation bribed employees and brought large bags of cash into branches to launder millions of dollars in fentanyl sales through TD branches in New York and New Jersey.”
The charges against Canada are supported by facts presented by people who support and do not support Donald Trump, and the actions of Chinese billionaires and their comfortable relationship with Canadian law have been reported for years.
Though Trump’s habit of making headline-grabbing threats to secure agreement may be shocking, what is perhaps most shocking of all is to find out the facts behind the headlines are more damning than his description of the problem. Trump’s solution, as Asher outlines, appears not to be “annexation” but the restoration of law and order and the exposure of corruption.
Quick Hit:
Bryan Kohberger will plead guilty to murdering four Idaho college students, avoiding a death sentence but leaving victims’ families without answers. The plea deal means he’ll spend life in prison without ever explaining why he committed the brutal 2022 killings.
Key Details:
- Kohberger will plead guilty at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m. local time.
- The plea deal removes the possibility of death by firing squad but ensures life in prison without parole.
- Victims’ families say the state “failed” them by agreeing to a deal that denies them an explanation for the murders.
Diving Deeper:
Bryan Kohberger, a former PhD criminology student at Washington State University, is expected to plead guilty to the November 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students, sparing himself the death penalty but also avoiding any explanation for his motive. Idaho defense attorney Edwina Elcox told the New York Post that under the plea, Kohberger will have to admit to the killings but won’t have to provide a reason for his actions. “There is no requirement that he says why for a plea,” Elcox explained.
Prosecutors reached the plea deal just weeks before the scheduled trial, which many believed would have revealed the full details and motives behind the shocking quadruple homicide. Kohberger is accused of murdering Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Ethan Chapin, 20; and Xana Kernodle, 20, with a military-style Ka-Bar knife as they slept in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. His DNA was allegedly found on a knife sheath left at the scene.
The Goncalves family blasted the state for the deal, saying, “They have failed us.” They had hoped a trial would uncover why Kohberger targeted their daughter and her friends. Prosecutors, however, argued that the plea ensures a guaranteed conviction and prevents the years of appeals that typically follow a death sentence, providing a sense of finality and keeping Kohberger out of the community forever.
Sentencing will not take place for several weeks following Wednesday’s hearing, which is expected to last about an hour as the judge confirms the plea agreement is executed properly. While the families may find some closure in knowing Kohberger will never be free again, they are left without the one thing a trial could have provided: answers.
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool)
Crime
National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud
By A 50-district dragnet uncovers transnational fraud, AI-driven deception, and systemic theft from Medicare, Medicaid, and U.S. taxpayers totaling over $14.6 billion
The Department of Justice announced Monday the outcome of the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, the largest coordinated enforcement action against health care fraud in U.S. history. Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against 324 individuals across 50 federal judicial districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices, including 96 licensed medical professionals—among them doctors, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. The defendants stand accused of orchestrating fraudulent schemes amounting to more than $14.6 billion in intended losses to Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally funded programs.
This historic enforcement action more than doubles the previous national record of $6 billion. As part of this effort, federal and state authorities have seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other high-value assets. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) separately reported that it successfully prevented more than $4 billion in fraudulent payments in the months leading up to the Takedown. CMS also confirmed that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers linked to fraudulent activity. In the civil domain, federal agencies filed actions against 20 defendants tied to $14.2 million in alleged fraud and finalized civil settlements with an additional 106 defendants, totaling $34.3 million in recovered funds.
The Takedown was led by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and carried out in close coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and multiple state law enforcement agencies. Medicaid Fraud Control Units in 18 states also played a central role in investigating and prosecuting the cases.
In remarks accompanying the announcement, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that the agency would aggressively work with law enforcement to eliminate the “pervasive health care fraud that drove up costs and harmed patients under the former administration.” Attorney General Pamela Bondi echoed the urgency, calling the action “justice delivered to those who steal from taxpayers and endanger lives.” Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, underscored the gravity of the crimes targeted, noting that fraudulent schemes often lead not only to financial losses but also to direct patient harm, including medically unnecessary procedures and worsened addiction outcomes.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized that this Takedown represents the largest in the bureau’s history, highlighting the theft of more than $13 billion from federal health programs. Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG described the scale of harm as unprecedented and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to safeguarding the public.
Among the most significant components of this national operation was Operation Gold Rush, which uncovered a sophisticated transnational conspiracy responsible for over $10 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims. The scheme was orchestrated by foreign nationals who, acting as a coordinated criminal enterprise, acquired more than 30 medical supply companies across the United States. These companies had already been enrolled in Medicare, and were then used to funnel false claims for urinary catheters and other durable medical equipment. Stolen identities of over one million Americans were used to submit these claims, which had not been requested by patients, nor ordered by physicians.
The conspiracy relied on straw owners sent from Russia and Estonia to the U.S., who were directed by co-conspirators communicating through encrypted channels. Using fraudulent documentation, these straw owners opened U.S. bank accounts for laundering proceeds. Though the organization submitted over $10.6 billion in claims, CMS successfully blocked most of the payments. Only approximately $41 million reached the conspirators via Medicare, but approximately $900 million was disbursed by Medicare supplemental insurers before the fraud was detected.
Four individuals were arrested in Estonia and eight others were apprehended at major U.S. airports and border crossings as they attempted to flee. Law enforcement seized approximately $27.7 million in fraud proceeds from this operation.
Federal prosecutors filed related charges in five districts: the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida, the Northern District of Illinois, the District of New Jersey, and the Eastern District of New York.
In a separate scheme centered in Illinois, the Department brought charges against five individuals, including two executives from Pakistani marketing firms, who used artificial intelligence to generate fake audio recordings of Medicare beneficiaries purporting to consent to receive medical equipment. This fraudulent data was sold to laboratories and equipment suppliers, which used it to file $703 million in false claims. Approximately $418 million was ultimately paid out on these claims, and the government has so far seized $44.7 million in related assets. The fraud involved not only AI-based deception but also the illegal sale and laundering of stolen personal health information.
Another case exposed a billing company executive based in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates who conspired with addiction treatment centers to submit approximately $650 million in fraudulent claims to Arizona Medicaid. Some services billed were never rendered, and others were so deficient as to provide no therapeutic value. The operation targeted vulnerable individuals, including members of Native American tribes and the homeless. Kickbacks were paid for patient referrals, and the executive used at least $25 million in illicit funds to purchase a $2.9 million home in Dubai.
The Department also charged 49 defendants in connection with over $1.17 billion in fraudulent claims tied to telemedicine and genetic testing. In one Florida case, an owner of both telemedicine and durable medical equipment companies orchestrated a $46 million scheme involving deceptive telemarketing campaigns that generated unauthorized genetic testing and equipment claims. The Department continues to prioritize cases involving telehealth-based fraud, which often exploits unwitting patients through misrepresented or manufactured consent.
Prescription opioid diversion was another central focus of the Takedown. A total of 74 defendants, including 44 licensed medical professionals, were charged across 58 criminal cases for illegally distributing more than 15 million opioid pills. One Texas pharmacy alone was responsible for over 3 million of these pills, which included highly addictive substances such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol. The DEA concurrently announced 93 administrative actions to revoke licenses and registrations of pharmacies and providers implicated in the unlawful handling of controlled substances.
Other cases include a $28.7 million scheme in Tennessee involving medications falsely billed to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Fund, where prescriptions were neither authorized by physicians nor dispensed as claimed. In separate indictments filed in Washington and California, medical providers were charged with stealing fentanyl and hydrocodone intended for pediatric patients under anesthesia.
The geographic scope of the Takedown was vast. In total, 189 federal cases were filed across all 50 federal judicial districts, and 91 state-level cases were brought in 12 states by participating Attorneys General. This unprecedented coordination underscores the national impact and bipartisan support for rooting out fraud in American health care systems.
To enhance ongoing efforts, the Department also announced the establishment of a new Health Care Fraud Data Fusion Center.
This joint initiative brings together specialists from the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit, HHS-OIG, FBI, and CMS to leverage cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and large-scale data analytics to detect emergent fraud patterns. The Fusion Center aligns with Executive Order 14243, “Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,” which mandates interagency cooperation and data-sharing to reduce redundancy and increase efficiency in enforcement.
Principal Assistant Deputy Chief Jacob Foster, Assistant Deputy Chief Rebecca Yuan, Trial Attorney Miriam L. Glaser Dauermann, and Data Analyst Elizabeth Nolte coordinated this year’s Takedown from within the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Unit. Prosecutors from the National Rapid Response team and regional Strike Forces in 27 districts led casework alongside U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 18 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Additional support came from the Department of Labor, VA-OIG, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management, the United States Postal Service OIG, and numerous other federal and local agencies.
Image sources: US DOJ
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