An international law enforcement operation targeting organized crime groups linked to India has resulted in 24 arrests and dozens of criminal charges, US officials announced on Tuesday. The coordinated investigation involved authorities from the United States, Canada and several European countries and focused on criminal networks accused of racketeering, targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking and other serious offences.
According to US officials, investigations revealed that two alleged crime bosses continued to direct global criminal operations while serving prison sentences in India. Authorities said all but 10 of the accused are now in custody.
First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said transnational criminal gangs involved in violence and drug trafficking would face the full force of US law enforcement.
Sikh Leader’s Killing Among Charges
Among the cases highlighted in the indictments is the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent advocate of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent homeland for Sikhs.
US authorities charged Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, with ordering Nijjar’s assassination from prison in India’s Punjab province. Officials alleged that Bishnoi projected himself publicly as a religious patriot while secretly directing an international criminal network involved in political assassinations, murders, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other crimes.
Authorities also charged Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, who is currently imprisoned in India and was once an associate of Bishnoi before becoming a rival. Prosecutors alleged that Bhagwanpuria leads a criminal organisation with more than 1,000 members operating across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He and 16 co-defendants face charges including murder-for-hire, weapons trafficking, drug smuggling, kidnappings and extortion.
In a separate case, Ravinder Singh Dhanda, 57, of Vancouver, is among 11 individuals accused of operating a large-scale drug trafficking network that allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from the United States into Canada each week.
Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office, said the coordinated operation targeted three violent transnational criminal organisations accused of spreading violence, exploiting communities and trafficking drugs across several countries.
