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Spy scandal: Canada reassures allies over leak that may be linked to Australian drug syndicate
Source: The Guardian
Spy scandal: Canada reassures allies over leak that may be linked to Australian drug syndicate
Intelligence officer Cameron Ortis had access to classified information from Five Eyes allies, including Australia
Ben Doherty
@bendohertycorro
Wed 18 Sep 2019 00.37 EDT
Last modified on Wed 18 Sep 2019 00.38 EDT
Canada is seeking to reassure its Five Eyes intelligence allies in the wake of a massive alleged spying leak that may be linked to an Australian drug-smuggling criminal syndicate.
Cameron Ortis, the director general of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit, has been charged over allegations he was trying to sell secrets to a foreign agent or terrorist group. He had access to classified information from Canada’s Five Eyes global allies, including Australia.
It has been reported Canadian authorities were led to Ortis’s alleged corruption while investigating Vincent Ramos, the Vancouver-based head of encrypted phone company Phantom Secure, used by drug-trafficking networks.
Ramos was a significant player in the Australian criminal underworld. The FBI estimated that of the 20,000 Phantom Secure devices in service around the world, 10,000 were used by Australian criminals.
In May, Ramos was jailed for nine years in a San Diego court for “leading a criminal enterprise that facilitated the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics through the sale of encrypted communication devices and services”.
-snip-
Intelligence officer Cameron Ortis had access to classified information from Five Eyes allies, including Australia
Ben Doherty
@bendohertycorro
Wed 18 Sep 2019 00.37 EDT
Last modified on Wed 18 Sep 2019 00.38 EDT
Canada is seeking to reassure its Five Eyes intelligence allies in the wake of a massive alleged spying leak that may be linked to an Australian drug-smuggling criminal syndicate.
Cameron Ortis, the director general of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s intelligence unit, has been charged over allegations he was trying to sell secrets to a foreign agent or terrorist group. He had access to classified information from Canada’s Five Eyes global allies, including Australia.
It has been reported Canadian authorities were led to Ortis’s alleged corruption while investigating Vincent Ramos, the Vancouver-based head of encrypted phone company Phantom Secure, used by drug-trafficking networks.
Ramos was a significant player in the Australian criminal underworld. The FBI estimated that of the 20,000 Phantom Secure devices in service around the world, 10,000 were used by Australian criminals.
In May, Ramos was jailed for nine years in a San Diego court for “leading a criminal enterprise that facilitated the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics through the sale of encrypted communication devices and services”.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/18/spy-scandal-canada-reassures-allies-over-leak-that-may-be-linked-to-australian-drug-syndicate