August 30, 2015 - 10:27 AM
OTTAWA - Canada's police chiefs want legal authority to seize mail in transit to stem the flow of illicit drugs, fake medicine and weapons through the postal system.
In a recently passed resolution, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police say contraband is being sent through the mail with impunity because the law forbids officers from swooping in until a parcel arrives at its destination.
The chiefs say this poses a significant challenge for police, who must find ways to work within or around the system to apprehend criminals.
The resolution calls on the government to amend the legislation governing Canada Post to provide police with the ability to obtain a judge's approval to "seize, detain or retain parcels or letters" in the mail stream.
Canada Post delivered more than nine billion parcels and letters to some 15 million addresses in Canada last year.
A November 2012 report the RCMP prepared for the chiefs' organized crime committee revealed that firearms, grenades, a rocket launcher, stun guns, dangerous chemicals and drugs including cocaine, heroin and marijuana were sent through the mail.
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2015