New Delhi : The United States has charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar with ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, as part of a sweeping FBI-led crackdown on three transnational organised crime networks. The charges were announced under “Operation Hard Ball”, a years-long investigation into criminal syndicates allegedly involved in murder, extortion, drug trafficking, weapons offences and other organised crime activities across multiple countries.
Bishnoi and Goldy Brar ordered the killing of Nijjar, identified in the indictment as “HSN”, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Nijjar’s murder had triggered a diplomatic storm after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged links between Indian government agents and the killing, a claim New Delhi rejected as “absurd and motivated”. The indictment alleges Bishnoi used contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices from jail to oversee a range of criminal activities, including political assassinations, murders, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking and human smuggling across multiple countries.
US prosecutors alleged the organisation used violence and intimidation, particularly against members of the Indian diaspora, while also amplifying its criminal reputation through social media and online posts. The Bishnoi network is also accused of financing its operations through cocaine trafficking and extortion. Gang members used encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp to threaten victims, demand millions of dollars and warn of violence against them and their families.
According to the indictment, the network was involved in murder-for-hire, kidnappings, extortion, weapons trafficking and international drug smuggling, while also using corrupt officials in India to target rivals and facilitate criminal activity. A third federal indictment centres on an alleged Canada-based drug trafficking network headed by Ravinder Singh Dhanda, 57, also known as “Randy”, “Rolex” and “John Wick”, of Vancouver. Prosecutors said Dhanda, along with Jaskarn Baghri, 50, alias “Baba”, of Surrey, British Columbia, Gurtej Singh Smagh, 43, alias “Simba”, of Creston, British Columbia, and eight others, was charged in an eight-count indictment returned on June 23.
US officials described the action as one of the most significant international operations targeting organised crime groups active across North America. “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 United States Attorney Bill Essayli said.
The investigation was carried out jointly by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), US Customs and Border Protection, and several other law enforcement agencies across North America and Europe. The RCMP said the operation marked a major step in dismantling three transnational organised crime networks led by Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said Canadian police had played a key role in the years-long probe, working closely with the FBI and other international partners to identify and disrupt the networks.
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