Sam Cooper the Scooper? Investigative Journalist or…..

Something else entirely? After doing all the work for the report below, I have to go with…. something else entirely.

The tariffs are not part of a drug war at all. And if the US wants to push it as such, then the inclusion of Canada is ridiculous. In my opinion. The US has been waging a drug war for decades.. and it has resulted in increased drug use- So this tariff nonsense is not part of a drug war

Remember “Just say no”

I’m not buying the superficial rhetoric at all.

BNN Bloomberg

Lutnick also reiterated the administration’s link between tariffs and flows of fentanyl across U.S. borders.

“This not a trade war; this is a drug war,” he said. “We’re trying to send a message that fentanyl has got to end, coming in from Mexico and Canada.”

This is a trade war. The US is starting a trade war with Mexico, Canada and China.

I’ve come to realize the belief that drugs are flowing in abundance over the border between the US and Canada has been a media created belief, promulgated for some time now. Similar to how an audience comes to believe that wars are necessary. And justifiable. You know weapons of mass destruction? Or some bogus humanitarian claim? False claims & contrived evidence have repeatedly been provided to justify some one else desired actions

The video below was suggested as viewing material to understand why Trump is targeting Canada over the Fentanyl issue and alleged ties to China.

The Real Reason Trump Wants Canada: Lies and Dark Ties to China – Exclusive Report

I’ve watched, listened- AND taken notes

This is a supposed “deep dive” interview with Sam Cooper- The guest has an interesting theory. His thesis, he calls it a thesis. He’s been researching this thesis.. Which he published in a book called Wilful Blindness. I’ve not read the book and am not likely to read it. Why? Because after doing all the research for this post, it seems to me SCooper’s theory, his thesis, is not reality based. Not supported by evidence.

I did listen to the interview twice, including watching body language etc- Too many superlatives used, which suggest to me a lack of real hard evidence. The interview felt scripted. I’m sure there was agreement on presentation etc., of the material, prior to the interview actually taking place.That’s to be expected. That said, his theory, based on the interview is lacking. I heard plenty ofaspersion and innuendo, coupled with an excessive amount of weasel wording. Long time readers know, this is always a problem. Excessive superlatives don’t make this factual or reality based however their use helps to implant ideas more effectively Though there could be some truth to it. How much truth is the question?-

Additional graphics as reference provided by @ClimateAudit

Given all the furore about fentanyl crossing northern border, has anyone seen a graph showing monthly seizures by US Border Patrol (the data cited by Press Secretary Leavitt when she recently cited a cited a so-called percentage increase of 2050% in fentanyl crossings from Canada… pic.twitter.com/8Yy2gHmU9Q

— Stephen McIntyre (@ClimateAudit) March 5, 2025

In the interview SCooper talks about Dominic Barton, ties to McKinsey, Purdue pharma and the pharmaceutically induced opiate crisis. While certainly immoral the Purdue sales of opiates were not illegal. So why mention it? Obviously, in order to conflate two different situations, in the mind of the viewer.

Purdue Pharma’s Gain, Caused Society’s Pain

S.Cooper, drops a whole lot of names. I’m not sure if those names are relevant at all to his theory. To be honest this name dropping feels like a smear- A political smear.

A smear campaign, also referred to as a smear tactic or simply a smear, is an effort to damage or call into question someone’s reputation

He mentions casinos and money laundering. This is nothing new or different regarding money laundering. And to be honest, online gambling, is now the new method of money laundering., More on online gambling and money laundering. However, the author is talking about physical casinos, not digital ones.

Interesting too that he claims China ships fentanyl precursors to the west Coast of Canada and Mexico, not the US, because the US will have much stronger control of the west coast?? I’m not sure how he verifies that claim? Also, since these precursors have legitimate use and aren’t necessarily illegal how is it the shipping of these precursors smuggling? That’s certainly what he implies. How accurate is it?

While some precursor chemicals have legitimate uses, they can also be used in the illegal production of controlled substances, like fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. In Canada, precursors are controlled under Schedule VI of the CDSA and subject to the PCR.

Let’s check out some smuggling stats:

2023-Illicit Fentanyl and Drug Smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico Border: An Overview

From 2023: U.S. Southern Border, Northern Border and Maritime Border as well as interior check points

Border officials seized 4,600 pounds of fentanyl along the southern border in 2020, a number that skyrocketed to 26,700 pounds in FY 2023 – a 480 percent increase. Most of the fentanyl seized by the two agencies in FY 2023, about 98.9 percent (26,700 out of 27,000 pounds), was seized at the southern border. The remaining 305 pounds were encountered at the northern border (2 pounds) and at U.S. maritime borders and interior checkpoints (303 pounds). Of the fentanyl seized at the southern border, the vast majority, about 23,900 pounds or 90 percent, was seized at POEs.

2023 Statistics:

• – 26,700 pounds at the Southern Border

• –2 pounds at the northern border-(Canada)

• 303 pounds at the maritime borders & interior check points

Additional year to year stats included.

So, we looked at 2022, 2023 but if we go back the time period starting in 2005 through to 2009- we can see the same situation with the southern border of the US being the main transit/smuggling route for illegal drugs- Justice.gov archive

Check; Table 1. Drug Seizures Along the Southwest and Northern Borders, in Kilograms, 2005-2009*

2022; Fentanyl Is Smuggled for U.S. Citizens By U.S. Citizens, Not Asylum Seekers

Ironically the Mexican President cited this study yesterday.

Here are facts:

• Fentanyl smuggling is ultimately funded by U.S. consumers who pay for illicit opioids: nearly 99 percent of whom are U.S. citizens.
• In 2021, U.S. citizens were 86.3 percent of convicted fentanyl drug traffickers—ten times greater than convictions of illegal immigrants for the same offense

Reality contradicts SCooper’s version of events- Not to say Canada is without problems, but, it’s not the problem it’s been hyped up to be. Trump is playing this card for political reasons. It’s being used as pressure tactic to be applied when/as necessary for political reasons.

CSBA– Canada’s Border Service

• 4.9 kg of fentanyl, an increase of 775% from the same period in 2023, of which 4.1 kg was intercepted outbound before it could be smuggled towards the Netherlands. Canada is committed to working with international partners to address the global fentanyl crisis.

The other problems with SCooper’s thesis

A very in depth critique of the myriad of contradictions contained in his book-read entirely at the link. It’s an eye opener!

The Wilful Blindness of Wilful Blindness

On page 302, Cooper attempts to defend the study’s narrow focus: “The RCMP could only afford to study the high-end.”

If a limited study is all the RCMP can afford, does that justify declaring its finding “a conclusive result” that “significant money-laundering was pouring into Vancouver homes” from Chinese gangs? (page 301)

Perhaps this is why the RCMP has kept the “study” a secret, available only to a friendly journalist “in a secure and confidential transfer of information” (page 302). Might that “study” be just a few spreadsheets of data that will not stand up to detailed questioning?

Wonder if he called the book Wilfull Blindness, cause you had to be wilfully blind in order to accept his theory? Like a cheap shot at the reader. As if he’s laughing at your acceptance of it?

Libelous lawsuits- Breach Media

The promulgator of unsubstantiated claims was SCooper, Sam Cooper. His own answers dam him!

How unsubstantiated claims about foreign meddling by Global News and The Globe and Mail left a trail of human damage

Commissioner Marie-Joséee Hogue concluded that no Canadian MPs were working for foreign powers, none owed their seats to assistance from other countries, and no legislation or laws came into effect due to such interference.

The findings stand in sharp contrast to a stream of so-called scoops from Global News and The Globe and Mail that fueled a national frenzy over Chinese interference—

Even before Hogue’s report was released, there was mounting evidence that these media stories were built on scraps of information, conjecture, and unfounded musings from disgruntled CSIS analysts.

In the spring of 2024, journalist Sam Cooper sat in a downtown Ottawa conference room, defending his reporting on allegations of Chinese foreign interference in Canadian politics under examination from a lawyer.

A former Global News reporter, his stories for the network were key to whipping the foreign interference scandal into existence.

“It’s had a tremendous impact,” Bill Majcher, a former RCMP inspector who was arrested in 2023 and charged with being an agent for China, told The Breach. “My income has been impacted, my reputation…It creates anxiety, with my age, young family, children…I’ve missed almost one third of my youngest daughter’s birthdays. [My two daughters] are without their father.”

We’ll come back to Bill Majcher later in this report

The questions below came from lawyer Mark Polley, who represents Han Dong, the MP for Don Valley North in Ontario, in a $15-million defamation lawsuit against Cooper and Global News. Global responded to Dong’s lawsuit by filing a motion in court to have it tossed out under Ontario’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects free expression on matters of public interest. Polley’s examination of Cooper was part of the anti-SLAPP process.

Dong then sued Global News for libel

“In dealing with confidential sources, do you agree that the journalist must personally ensure the correctness of the facts?” he was asked at one point.

“Yes,” Cooper replied, before adding: “You verify the credibility of allegations. You look at, in my view…context, plausibility of an allegation, and then you get the other side. It’s not…your job to say that…something is true or false. Often, it’s that something is believed or alleged or asserted and then you get the other side.”

So far, no credible evidence to back Cooper’s claims about Dong has come to light.

Cooper said the two stories were based on what he was told by about seven confidential sources—four of whom worked as intelligence officers and some of whom showed the reporter some documents.

Yet Cooper was not allowed to keep any copies of the documents he was shown, and none of the documents mentioned Dong by name or any conversation about the two Michaels between the MP and the Chinese consul general. In fact, Cooper was never shown any transcripts or summary of the conversation between them at all.

“Am I right that you were never able to verify the truth of what was in the two Michaels call from any document?” asked Polley at one point. “You didn’t look at a document. Is that right?”

“That’s correct,” replied Cooper.

“None of those documents refer to Han Dong as a ‘witting affiliate’, did they?” asked Polley at another moment..

“No, the words ‘witting affiliate’ or his name are not in those documents,” admitted Cooper.

When asked if he was simply relaying what CSIS believed about matters, Cooper agreed and admitted he did not investigate whether the allegations were always true.

“Am I right, then, that you didn’t know whether it was actually true that the Chinese consulate clandestinely funded an election interference network in 2019?” asked Polley at another point.

“You’re correct. I haven’t seen any—any judgement on that or a [financial intelligence agency] document to confirm that.”

“You don’t know that the network involved 11 MPs, for example?”

“I don’t know that for a fact,” conceded Cooper.

Cooper also admitted that none of his CSIS sources told him they reported their concerns about Dong to their superiors, or the Deputy Attorney General of Canada, before approaching the reporter.

Cooper’s own answers are detrimental to HIS narrative

The CSIS sources didn’t report their concerns to their superiors? Why? Shouldn’t they have done just that? Highly suggestive that there was nothing to support these so called concerns.

A Farewell To Sam ‘Scooper’ Cooper, The Spy Agency Microphone

The reporter behind many of the shoddy ‘Chinese interference’ stories is leaving Global News as the lawsuits pile up.

As the lawsuits pile up..

Cooper’s reporting was a focus of special rapporteur David Johnston’s first report into election interference, which found that a major allegation made in Cooper’s article against Dong is “false.” Cooper’s reporting also prompted some national conversation about how he is:

1) being sued, along with co-defendants, by Dong for $15 million in damages, alleging the defendants “maliciously destroyed [his] hard-earned reputation and career and [exposed] his family to a campaign of hateful messages and threats, including death threats”;

2) being sued, along with co-defendants, by former Ontario MPP Michael Chan for $10 million, alleging Cooper “engaged in an ongoing and relentless campaign against [him]”;

3) currently facing, along with Global News, a libel notice from Ontario MPP Vincent Ke, alleging their reporting exposed him to “a campaign of hateful and racist threats and attacks.”

Only excerpts from these articles are being included, please read entirely at the links provided.

Lawtimesnews- Ontario court allows libel suit to proceed against Global News

However, the court concluded in its Oct. 17 decision that Ke’s libel suit does not qualify as a SLAPP action, reasoning it “is not an attempt to strong-arm a media outlet to bury a story or to prevent future stories.

If [Ke] wins at trial, he will likely issue a press release or hold a press conference outside the courthouse,” the court added. “Until the court issues an injunction after an adjudication of the merits, this proceeding and the public trial are more likely to promote interest in the Global News article than to cause the defendants to delete it from their website.”

Judge finds no documentation to support Global News’ reporting on Han Dong allegations

The lawyer noted that he told the court it was problematic that the CSIS agents told Cooper “very damning things about Patrick Brown and Jean Chrétien,” but Global News’ reporting only mentioned people of Chinese ethnic origin.

Canadian reporter caught falsely claiming Trudeau was briefed with names of ‘Chinese-funded’ election candidates

That reporter, was of course, Sam Cooper aka SCooper.

On November 7, 2022, Global News reporter Sam Cooper published a report titled “Canadian intelligence warned PM Trudeau that China covertly funded 2019 election candidates: Sources”.  

Cooper has a problem though: on November 20, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau admitted that he was never briefed about supposed Chinese-funded election candidates, doesn’t know their names (if they even exist) and only learned of the alleged Chinese election interference from media reports.

Well that’s a problem! If Trudeau acknowledges he was never briefed and knows nothing of these alleged Chinese funded candidates, how can SCooper claim he was? Does he have some sort of documentation to prove his allegations?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sunday he has never been briefed that any candidates in the 2019 federal election may have been influenced by financing from the Chinese government.

A Global News report earlier this month cited unnamed sources who claimed Trudeau was informed last January that China was trying to interfere in Canadian politics, including by funding at least 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election.

SCooper cited unnamed sources…

Ironically, Cooper openly admits that his sources come almost exclusively from the DEA, RCMP, CSIS, and ‘the US national security community.’

I find the involvement of the US national security community interesting- If Cooper is telling us the truth about that?! That said, that’s one thing I do believe, given how Trump is playing all these claims up as if their valid?

Remember the RCMP officer Bill Majcher from earlier on in this overly large article? Well here’s where we get back to him.

Canadian reporter used movie footage as casino security footage– You’ve read that correctly- SCooper passed off movie footage as casino security footage for one of his “scoops”

The Bureau founder, journalist Sam Cooper, is blaming China after being caught using Chinese movie footage as ‘casino security footage’ for an ‘exclusive’ article.

Evidence of the shoddy quality of his research continues to emerge.

This past September, he published an “exclusive” story in the The Bureau headlined “Ex-Mountie Bill Majcher Linked to Meeting with Tse Chi Lop, Chinese Triad Leaders.”

The story included a photo, which it said was taken from security footage in a Macau casino and showed Majcher greeting “one of the world’s top narcos, Tse Chi Lop.” Cooper claimed that in February 2019 Majcher stayed at the hotel in Macau as a guest of “Junket King” Alvin Chau Cheok-wa, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2023 for fraud.

What was the problem with this story?

For one, Majcher was never in Macau in 2019 shaking hands with Tse Chi Lop or any other Asian criminals.

The photo Cooper based his story on was actually a still from a 2015 action-comedy movie called From Vegas to Macau II. When the movie was being shot in Hong Kong, a friend of Majcher who was working on it suggested Majcher play an extra. The man shaking Majcher’s hand was not one of Asia’s biggest gangsters but one of its biggest movie stars, Chow Yun-Fat—world-famous for his role in the 2000 hit movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Cooper received the still from someone who claimed it showed Majcher with a gangster—and he didn’t bother to verify if it was true before running his story.

Calvin Chrustie, a former superintendent and senior operations officer with the RCMP, and Bob Young, a former CSIS executive manager—both of whom are listed as defendants in Wealth One’s lawsuit.

The suit says that, “by their access to secret and confidential information purportedly pertaining to Mr. Xian,” they released secret information for their own profit and leaked information to The Globe and Mail.

If true, this would not come as a surprise. Chrustie has been one of Sam Cooper’s longtime sources on China’s influence in Canada for many years. And he’s been accused of involvement in another allegation about foreign interference.

And there’s yet another law suit! I’ve lost track of how many law suits involving Scooper, other persons mentioned above and two media outlets

To wrap this piece up. By S.Cooper’s own admission, he made allegations without evidence. He used footage, a film clip, as proof of something nefarious in a report. Misrepresenting reality entirely. It’s uncertain that he can be deemed as credible In my opinion, his facts, and I’m using that term loosely don’t add up.

Yes, it’s big read, and if you take the time to read outbound links your going to be busy for a while. But, please do. And share some thoughts!