Canada has become a “safe haven” and international hub for notorious crime groups as illicit trade in the country is “booming,” according to a report by an American think tank.

“Canada has become a safe zone for the world’s most notorious crime groups and threat networks that are harming Canada’s national security and imperiling the security of other nations,” warns a report published in late November by the International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE).

Production and trafficking or narcotics, fentanyl and fake pharmaceuticals, cross-border money laundering and illegal alcohol are just some of the illicit markets that are growing in Canada and threatening Canadians’ security, the report’s authors highlight.

“Today, Canada is not merely a consumer of illicit goods and contraband, but increasingly serves as a hub of illicit trade, production and distribution of illicit goods, an exporter of such contraband, and a money laundering safe haven for a potpourri of criminal networks,” wrote authors Calvin Chrustie and David M. Luna.

“Canada remains a financial haven for kingpins, kleptocrats, oligarchs, and corrupt officials to reinvest stolen funds from their countries in real estate, energy, mining, and other sectors.”

The report notes that tens of billions of dollars are laundered through Canada annually from the proceeds of crime such as human, drug and weapons trafficking.

It also says multinational crime syndicates are increasingly setting up shop in Canada.

“Canada has become a major global refuge for transnational crime networks and their dirty money, including the world’s most notorious networks and their leaders like Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán and the Sinaloa cartel, Chinese drug kingpin Tse Chi Lop, Hezbollah Financier Altaf Khanani, and other bad actors,” reads the report.