24 Arrested In Global Indian Gang Crackdown With LA, CA Ties: Feds

LOS ANGELES, CA — Federal authorities in the U.S., Canada and Europe arrested 24 people, including 11 in California, in a sweeping crackdown on three India-based transnational crime groups accused of targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking and other crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

The arrests were part of “Operation Hard Ball,” a yearslong federal investigation into organized crime syndicates accused of operating across borders and targeting people of Indian descent, prosecutors said.

In all, 37 defendants were charged in three federal indictments unsealed this week. Defendants arrested in the U.S. included 11 in California, one in Indiana and one in Georgia. Three others were arrested in Canada and one was arrested in Spain, while seven were already in custody, federal prosecutors said.

Authorities said they are still searching for 10 fugitives.

The investigation led to the seizure of over 2,000 pounds of cocaine, more than a pound of heroin, cash and a dozen firearms, prosecutors said. Authorities also executed 23 search warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area, officials said.

“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.

One indictment charges Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, of Punjab, India, who prosecutors say has long been imprisoned in India but continued to direct a criminal enterprise using contraband cellphones and internet-based communication devices.

Federal prosecutors allege the Bishnoi organization was involved in assassinations, shootings, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking and human smuggling. The indictment accuses Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as “Goldy Brar,” of ordering the June 18, 2023, assassination of a prominent Indian political and religious figure outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.

The indictment also alleges the group attempted to extort victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, including a demand for $5 million.

A second indictment charges 17 defendants tied to an alleged criminal enterprise led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, of Punjab, India. Prosecutors said that group operated in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and was involved in murder-for-hire, drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortion and weapons trafficking.

A third indictment charges 11 defendants in an alleged drug-smuggling network accused of transporting large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California to Canada using long-haul trucks.

The charges are allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, many of the defendants could face mandatory minimum sentences ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison, prosecutors said.