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A record number of gangs have been identified in Alberta, and Alberta Law Enforcement Team (ALERT) Insp. Dave Dubnyk warns organized crime has “tentacles” that reach across provincial borders and deep into Alberta’s communities.

“It continues to be an issue here in the province, and we continue to make that a primary focus of ours,” said Dubnyk.

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A Provincial Threat Assessment identified 138 criminal networks operating in Alberta, the highest total in four years.

In its latest annual report, ALERT has identified 245 criminal networks active in the province.

“We’re seeing a fair bit of interprovincial networking, as evidenced by the Red Scorpions and the Independent Soldiers out of Red Deer, the United Nations out of Grande Prairie, the Mad Cows in Lethbridge, as well as a number of Toronto and Ottawa organized crime networks,” Dubnyk said.

With so many criminal organizations at work, Dubnyk said investigators focus on those that pose the greatest and most immediate risk to the public.