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In a written statement to the National Post this week, Eby said while he was encouraged to hear about the RCMP’s appointment of a special adviser, significant gaps remain in enforcement, which he characterized as a “massive failure.”

“It’s a bigger issue than just B.C.,” he said. “It’s an international issue and we need that support to deal with it.”

On a purely practical matter, $800,000 in twenties is very heavy. It looked like they were helping somebody move a box of books

The special adviser will be expected to give advice to investigators, review case files, serve as an expert witness in court, assist in the preparation of search warrants, and provide training on financial crime topics, according to details posted on the federal government’s tendering website. The one-year, $217,000 contract could be extended for up to four years.

Photo by Chad Hipolito/Canadian Press

Though members of the public still have a couple of weeks to submit their names for the job, the public notice states that Ahern, who is a former RCMP member and spent years prosecuting serious financial crimes, “is believed to be the only known consultant capable of performing the duties outlined” and the government intends to award the contract to him.

Ahern, who has already updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect the new position and has voicemail set up at Surrey headquarters, referred requests for comment to the RCMP, which did not respond by press time.

Money laundering concerns ramped up last year after the release of an audit by accounting firm MNP that focused on “large volumes of unsourced cash” being accepted at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, B.C. The audit revealed that approximately $13.5 million in $20 bills was accepted at the casino in July 2015 alone.