Dozens charged with murder, extortion and more in crackdown on India-based organized crime groups

RCMP head up says 3 felon organizations 'inflicted hurt and cruelty' globally

Bishnoi gang tied to killing of Sikh leader in Canada: U.S. Official

Why Canada put the Bishnoi Gang on its terrorist list

Man killed in Surrey, B.C., is alleged top Bishnoi gang member, the fifth estate reveals

Surrey extortionist told police Bishnoi contractor paid $3K for fiery attack

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the man India is accused of killing?

Crowds gather at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., after fatal shooting

As for the other two indictments, it's hard to tell whether or not this was one massive investigation, or the convergence of three investigations that all happened to feature Indian nationals operating in the United States and Canada. 

The Dhanda indictment involves three B.C. Residents who were allegedly part of a "drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico." 

In July 2023, according to the indictment, two of them allegedly met in Peace Arch park in Blaine, Wash., to "co-ordinate logistics for transporting future loads of cocaine and methamphetamine to the U.S.-Canada border, and for smuggling those drug loads across the U.S.-Canada border." 

The trio allegedly ran this network for several years, meeting in Surrey, B.C., in January 2025 to co-ordinate logistics for smuggling future loads of cocaine and methamphetamine out of the United States and into Canada. Dhanda, the Canadian trafficking boss, allegedly told the others he intended to start a new "cartel."

The indictment also cites multiple threats and a demand for $500,000 from a resident of Brampton, Ont., — one of the other cities, along with Edmonton, that has seen a plague of extortions, shootings and arsons connected to the Bishnoi and other rival gangs in the past few years.

We know from immigration proceedings that the Bishnoi foot soldiers have moved between provinces, carrying out attacks, moving weapons and engaging in widespread auto fraud.

The indictment also accuses Bishnoi and Brar in a shooting at the Vancouver home of a popular Indian actor and singer named R.G. In November 2024. Reports from that time match a shooting at the home of Rupinder (Gippy) Grewal. According to the indictment, Brar contacted a number used by R.G. And R.G.'s manager and demanded money.

"You can ignore my message, you will not be able to ignore the bullets coming your way," it read.

Court documents also cite another incident last summer in which the owner of an immigration company in Surrey, B.C., was allegedly contacted by Brar and told, "It's your turn to file your taxes," and "get $500,000 ready, if you ignore me then I'm happy to kill you."

A month later, Brar allegedly told him, "my promise to you is that you will not die of natural causes, I promise that you will also die by a bullet, understood…. You will die because of your dog-like tongue," and "your family will suffer."

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the man India is accused of killing?

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a pro-Khalistan activist and the president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C. His day job was working as a plumber. For years, the Indian government called him a terrorist — a claim Nijjar repeatedly denied. So, who was Nijjar, and why did India think he was such a danger?

The indictment also cites a number of crimes attributed to Bishnoi and his followers in Canada,  most significantly the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar three years ago. Nijjar's killing led to a diplomatic rift between Canada and India after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved.

The indictment today directly accuses Bishnoi of providing one of the accused in the shooting with a photograph of Nijjar and multiple addresses.

Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., on June 18, 2023.

The indictment details how the Bishnoi gang recruited young people from disadvantaged families in India, offering them minimal compensation. It says the gang then sent them to countries like the U.S. And Canada on student visas.

This aligns with what we've heard at the immigration and criminal hearings, where gang members claimed they were hired for as little as $1,000 each to shoot at their targets' homes.

The purpose is always sowing fear. The gang itself has been described as a hierarchy with Bishnoi and Goldy Brar at the top, a few middle men who oversaw operations in Canada and then a vast army of foot soldiers ready to carry out their bidding.

We know from our reporting that the Bishnoi gang even sent a letter to police in Abbotsford, B.C., at one point, claiming to have 1,000 soldiers in Canada.

Why Canada put the Bishnoi Gang on its terrorist list

I've been reporting extensively on Canada's extortion crisis and reading through the three indictments that make up Operation Hard Ball. The documents outline the results of three separate investigations.

The indictment against Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and the Bishnoi gang aligns with much of what has emerged from a year's worth of police investigations and Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada hearings: Bishnoi got his start as a university leader in India in the early 2010s before switching to criminal activity. He's been in jail since 2015, but has still managed to build a transnational criminal organization from behind bars.

The organized crime groups funded their activities in part by stealing drugs from rival gangs, according to officials.

Essayli said the narcotics involved primarily came from cartels in Mexico using California as a "highway," ultimately destined for different places in the U.S. Or Canada.

"These are violent gangster thugs, and they did bad things. They did violent things and they stole drugs from other gangsters," said Essayli. "Nobody was off limits for them."

Grandy said the FBI are offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and extradition of Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, who is at large. Singh is described by U.S. Officials as a lieutenant of Bishnoi.

The criminal groups based in India operated across the world, said RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, who was at the news conference in Los Angeles. 

He explained that the RCMP embedded with the FBI during a two-year investigation working alongside law enforcement in Canada, the United States, Mexico, France and Spain. 

Duheme said three Canadian suspects were arrested Wednesday in British Columbia, while a fourth remains wanted in Europe. He said those arrested played "a significant leadership role" in directing criminal activity across multiple countries.

"The world has gotten smaller. These groups operate transnationally, and so must law enforcement," Duheme said.

Essayli said one of the three indictments targets an alleged drug trafficking network led by Canadian Ravinder Singh Dhanda, who he said used commercial transport trucks to move "hundreds of pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine each week" across the U.S. And into Canada on behalf of other criminal organizations. 

Dhanda and 10 others are charged with drug trafficking offences. Prosecutors allege the network transported drugs concealed in commercial semi-trailers before smuggling them into Canada. 

"Working together, law enforcement across multiple continents took a major step towards stopping three transnational, organized crime groups that murder, maim, extort, and traffic drugs, leaving trails of pain and devastation in their wake," Essayli said. 

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