Bishnoi gang members charged with ordering hit on B.C. Sikh leader, U.S. announces arrests | Globalnews.ca SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT Global News Home Subscribe Site theme toggle. Switch between light or dark mode Light Dark Live Search Site theme toggle. Switch between light or dark mode Light Dark GlobalNews home Watch World Canada Local Politics Money Health Entertainment Lifestyle Perspectives Sports Shopping Commentary Contests Podcasts U.S. News Bishnoi gang members charged with ordering hit on B.C. 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Due to the sensitive and/or legal subject matter of some of the content on globalnews.ca, we reserve the ability to disable comments from time to time. Please see our Commenting Policy for more. Video link Headline link Advertisement Close X Click to scroll back to top of the page Back to top Crime Bishnoi gang members charged with ordering hit on B.C. Sikh leader, U.S. announces arrests By Amy Judd Global News Posted July 7, 2026 3:25 pm Updated July 8, 2026 8:57 am 7 min read If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us . Hide message bar 4:15 Two dozen arrested in ‘Operation Hard Ball’ An international crackdown on the notorious Bishnoi gang by the FBI today involving organized crime groups charged with murder, extortion, and drug trafficking. As Catherine Urquhart reports, the indictments detail what allegedly led up to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey three years ago. Leave a comment Share this item on Facebook Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on X Send this page to someone via email See more sharing options Share Close Share this item on Facebook facebook Share this item on X x Send this page to someone via email email Share this item via WhatsApp whatsapp Share this item via Telegram telegram Share this item on Reddit reddit Share this item on BlueSky bluesky Copy article link Copy link Descrease article font size Increase article font size Three men in British Columbia have been arrested and charged in connection with a major crackdown by law enforcement in the United States, Canada and Europe connected with three India-based transnational organized crime groups, officials with the FBI announced on Tuesday. In a joint press conference on Tuesday, the RCMP and the FBI announced several arrests and charges against the leaders of three global organized crime networks: Lawrence Bishnoi , Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. RCMP said these groups have been engaged in extortions, drug trafficking, kidnapping and widespread violence, namely in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023. 5:50 Bishnoi gang members among India-based crime groups facing charges following FBI investigation Nijjar was gunned down outside the Guru Nanak Singh Gurdwara in Surrey in June 2023. Story continues below advertisement Lawrence Bishnoi is in prison in India and Satinderjeet Singh, 32, a.k.a. “Goldy Brar,” of Punjab, India, is alleged to be the North American leader of the Bishnoi enterprise. “The charges set forth in the indictment include allegations that the Bishnoi, that Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar directed the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada identified by his initials H.S.N. in the indictment,” Bilal A. Essay, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, said at the press conference on Tuesday. “The gang used this assassination and other high-profile acts of violence to terrorize Sikh and other Indian communities, and they used acts of violence to legitimize and bolster widespread extortion schemes.” In the indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice, it states that no later than June 18, 2023, Bishnoi and Singh ordered the assassination of H.S.N. No later than June 18, 2023, four people agreed to assist with the assassination of H.S.N. No later than June 18, 2023, defendant Bishnoi provided one co-conspirator with a photograph of, and multiple addresses for H.S.N. to facilitate the assassination. On June 18, 2023, co-conspirator 1 and co-conspirator 2 shot and killed H.S.N. as H.S.N. was leaving the Gurdwara in Surrey, the indictment states. The Canadian government in September 2025 designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity. Story continues below advertisement In November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a separate shooting that occurred at the Vancouver home of a prominent Indian actor and singer and warned in the Punjabi language in a Facebook post, “no one can save you from us.” 1:11 B.C. investigator reveals gang letter claimed 1,000 foot soldiers linked to extortion network United States v. Dhanda, et al. Ravinder Singh Dhanda, 57, a.k.a. “Randy,” “Rolex” and “John Wick,” of Vancouver, Jaskarn Baghri, 50, a.k.a. “Baba,” of Surrey, Gurtej Singh Smagh, 43, a.k.a. “Simba,” of Creston, and eight other defendants are charged in an eight-count indictment returned June 23, alleging they transported, smuggled and distributed hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine each week from the U.S. into Canada. Story continues below advertisement All three men were arrested on Tuesday morning without incident, RCMP confirmed. Get breaking National news Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Get Started By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . According to the indictment, Dhanda operated a drug distribution network that provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The FBI stated in a release that he negotiated transportation rates and logistics with these DTOs and subcontracted the storage and transportation of these drugs. The cocaine and methamphetamine were concealed and transported on long-haul semi-trucks from the greater Los Angeles area — including Los Angeles, West Covina, Ontario, Fontana and Perris — to the U.S.-Canada border. Sometimes, farm trucks from working farms were used to hide the narcotics en route to Canada, the FBI stated in a press release. The indictment specifically alleges the shipment of 430.1 kilograms (948.2 pounds) of cocaine from July 2023 to November 2024. The indictment then states that on Jan. 20, 2025, Dhanda, Baghri and Smagh met with an undercover agent in South Surrey to coordinate logistics for smuggling future loads of cocaine and methamphetamine out of the United States and into Canada, at which meeting defendant DHANDA stated he intended to start a new “cartel”. Dhanda would negotiate transportation rates and logistics with representatives from drug trafficking organizations located in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere for transporting cocaine and methamphetamine from the United States to Canada. Story continues below advertisement Dhanda and Baghri would oversee and manage the storage, transportation, and international smuggling of cocaine and methamphetamine across the U.S.-Canada border, according to the indictment. Smagh would gather information related to the timing and location of border inspections and other enforcement actions from an individual working for the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to assist with smuggling cocaine and methamphetamine across the U.S.-Canada border, the indictment states. It charges one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export controlled substances, one count of operating a continuing criminal enterprise, and five counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The three men appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon – one via video link and two in person. Dhanda has retained the high-profile criminal lawyer, Ian Donaldson, while Smagh has retained Rishi Gill. Baghri does not yet have a lawyer. There is a publication ban on the extradition hearing. They will next appear in court on Thursday for a bail hearing. United States v. Bhagwanpuria, et al. More on Crime More videos Calgary police, Stampede aware after phones allegedly stolen during Saturday concert Justin Bone testifies in Chinatown murder trial 2 Winnipeg women charged after baseball bat assault leaves victims critically injured Toronto transit operator suffers ‘violent assault’ at subway station Organized crime crackdown reaction ‘Operation Hard Ball’ arrests reshape Nijjar assassination narrative 150 spaces added to Edmonton police impound lot Justin Bone testifies in Edmonton Chinatown murder trial Bhagwanpuria, 38, of Punjab, India, is a gangster imprisoned in India, an associate-turned-rival of Bishnoi, and founded his own criminal enterprise in India’s Punjab state, according to the FBI. Story continues below advertisement According to an indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bhagwanpuria organized crime group included more than 1,000 members worldwide and operated as a transnational criminal syndicate headquartered in India. He “would direct and coordinate acts of violence” in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere, including, but not limited to “kidnappings, assaults and extortion schemes,” the indictment states. The group would transport cocaine, methamphetamine and other controlled substances across the U.S. and into Canada and it engaged in weapons trafficking in the U.S. and would then sell those weapons there or smuggle them to Canada, according to court documents. It stated that the organized crime group rewarded loyal members in India by sending them to operate in foreign countries, including Canada and the U.S. Operation Hard Ball In total, 24 people have been arrested in what the FBI called Operation Hard Ball, a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates involved in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, trafficking narcotics across international borders and other crimes around the world. Story continues below advertisement In total, 37 defendants, including two defendants who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India, are charged across three indictments unsealed on Tuesday, the FBI said. “This is a big moment for the RCMP and for public safety in Canada, the United States and around the world,” RCMP Commissioner Mark Duheme said in a release. “It is a reminder of what can be accomplished when we work together with partners both in Canada and abroad, meeting criminals where they operate, targeting the leadership structures of these criminal groups, and ending their ability to terrorize and extort people. At the same time, we’re putting a stop to a significant flow of drugs and firearms into Canada.” Law enforcement is still looking for seven fugitives, including seven in the U.S., two in India and one in Europe. Officers also seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin, along with $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms. “Today’s coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organizations that have terrorized families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the U.S. and abroad,” Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Story continues below advertisement Reaction In a statement, Sikhs For Justice said it commends the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, DEA, RCMP, and all partner law enforcement agencies “whose coordinated investigations have shattered India’s diplomatic camouflage, exposing a brutal campaign of state-sponsored transnational terrorism directed against supporters of the Khalistan Referendum.” Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, in whose city many extortion-related shootings have taken place, stated that the people behind these extortion schemes have targeted business owners and threatened communities. “This news reinforces what we’ve been saying for months: the extortion crisis affecting Surrey and cities across Canada is being driven by sophisticated transnational organized crime networks,” she said in a statement. “While these arrests are an encouraging step, there is still more work to do to protect businesses, families, and neighbourhoods from intimidation and violence.” –with files from The Canadian Press Stick to the Facts Add Global News as a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our stories in your search results. 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