U.S., Canadian and European law enforcement agencies have arrested 24 people linked to three India-based organized crime groups following a years-long investigation into murder, extortion and international drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The arrests were carried out as part of Operation Hard Ball, a coordinated crackdown on transnational crime networks. The investigation also examined the June 2023 killing of prominent Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Authorities accused the crime groups of racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, trafficking large quantities of narcotics across international borders and other crimes that have affected Indian diaspora communities in several countries.
The U.S. authorities said 37 defendants have been charged in three federal indictments unsealed in California. Authorities arrested 13 suspects in the United States (including 11 in California), three in Canada and one in Spain. Seven defendants were already in custody, while law enforcement agencies are searching for 10 fugitives, including two believed to be in India.
Investigators also said they seized about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, about $40,000 in cash and 12 firearms during the investigation. Authorities executed 23 search warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area, the Justice Department said.
The first case centres on Lawrence Bishnoi, a jailed Indian gangster. According to the indictment, Bishnoi allegedly directed a criminal enterprise from prison in India using smuggled communication devices to coordinate political assassinations, murders, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other crimes through associates in several countries.
Among the charges, the indictment alleges that Bishnoi and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, ordered the June 18, 2023 killing of a prominent political and religious leader identified in court documents only by the initials “H.S.N.” outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The victim is widely identified as Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to the indictment, the Bishnoi organization allegedly used violence and threats to extort members of Indian diaspora communities and financed its activities through international drug trafficking and by stealing narcotics from rival criminal groups. The indictment also alleges the group oversaw the movement of cocaine from the United States to Canada and stole more than 500 kilograms of cocaine from rival traffickers in the Los Angeles area between 2024 and 2025.
The second indictment targets the alleged Bhagwanpuria gang. According to the indictment, the gang was founded by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a jailed Indian gangster and former associate-turned-rival of Lawrence Bishnoi. The indictment alleges the gang operates across India, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the indictment, the gang was allegedly involved in murder-for-hire, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking and firearms offences. It also alleges members worked with corrupt officials in India to target rivals, file false criminal complaints and extort victims. The indictment says the gang financed its activities through drug trafficking and illegal firearms dealing.
The third case involves an alleged cross-border drug trafficking network led by Canada-based Ravinder Singh Dhanda. According to the indictment, the group allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California into Canada using commercial transport trucks, including farm vehicles to conceal narcotics during some shipments.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with assistance from several U.S. and international law enforcement agencies, including authorities in Spain.
Notably, the indictments contain allegations only.
Also Read: U.S. Indicts Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar Over Hardeep Singh Nijjar Killing
