B.C.’s Attorney General will meet with the federal Organized Crime Reduction minister this week on the thorny issue of money laundering.

Dave Eby says he is shocked by the sheer scope of the problem estimated by the federal government to now be in the billions of dollars per year in B.C.

“It is just astounding to me what is coming out of the RCMP and the federal government as well as international observers like the DEA.”

Eby says his concern level has spiked even further especially with the largest money laundering case in the country falling apart.

“It is pretty obvious to me there is insufficient capacity to investigate, prosecute, and convict on money laundering and serious organized crime in our province. It is one of two prosecutions actually at the federal level that collapsed during the Christmas break and just shortly after. A giant federal drug prosecution also collapsed. These are really worrying signs because I know that there are a significant number of investigations that were either never initiated or never brought to prosecution.”

Eby says he will tell Bill Blair the federal government needs to step up.

“We will be having a conversation with him about the need for the province to have better information from the feds about what is happening so we can use civil forfeiture, so that we can engage in prosecutions, so that we can do tax investigations if the feds are not going to do them.”

This as the phase two money laundering investigation by Peter German examines housing, real estate, luxury cars, and horse racing.

“His entire report is due to us by the end of March.”

Eby says Peter German will file reports in phases with the first one likely being on horse racing.