The US department of justice
(DoJ) has announced a sweeping international crackdown on alleged India-based organised crime syndicates, unsealing three federal indictments against 37 defendants, including jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, rival gang leader Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and a Punjab Police officer. The coordinated operation, spanning the US, Canada and Europe, resulted in 24 arrests and involves allegations ranging from racketeering, targeted killings and extortion to large-scale drug trafficking and human smuggling.
The
operation, codenamed Operation Hard Ball, follows what US authorities describe as a years-long investigation into criminal organisations allegedly involved in racketeering, targeted killings, extortion, kidnappings, international narcotics trafficking, firearms offences and other serious crimes affecting Indian diaspora communities across several countries.
According to the DoJ, 13 defendants were arrested in the US, including 11 in California, one in Indiana and one in Georgia. Three were arrested in Canada and one in Spain, while seven were already in custody before Wednesday's coordinated operation. Authorities say they are continuing to search for 10 fugitives, including two believed to be in India.
As part of the investigation, law enforcement agencies seized around 1,000kg of cocaine, 1kg of heroin, about US$40,000 in cash and 12 firearms. Investigators also executed 34 search warrants, including 23 in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area.
Among those charged is Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in India and whom US prosecutors describe as the head of a global criminal enterprise operating from prison through contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices.
According to a nine-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on 1 July 2026, Bishnoi allegedly directed political assassinations, murders, shootings, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking and human smuggling across multiple countries despite being incarcerated.
The indictment also names Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, described as the alleged North American leader of the Bishnoi organisation; Rohit Godara, identified as its alleged European leader; and Sukhraj Singh Kang, among senior associates accused of helping manage the syndicate's international operations.
US prosecutors allege that the Bishnoi organisation cultivated fear among members of the Indian diaspora through acts of violence and public claims of responsibility for attacks, using that reputation to extort victims.
One of the most serious allegations relates to the 18 June 2023 killing of a prominent Indian political and religious leader identified in court documents only as 'HSN', who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The indictment alleges that Bishnoi and Goldy Brar ordered the assassination.
According to the indictment, the syndicate routinely targeted political, religious and social leaders to intimidate communities and facilitate extortion.
Prosecutors also allege that Bishnoi publicly claimed responsibility for a shooting outside the Vancouver residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer in November 2023 and issued threats through a social media post.
The indictment further alleges that members of the Bishnoi organisation attempted to extort victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks in late-2025 and early-2026, demanding US$5mn (million) through threats sent via WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging platforms.
Prosecutors also accuse the organisation of financing its operations through international drug trafficking. The allegations include an attempted shipment of 49kg of cocaine from California to Canada in November 2024 and the theft of about 520kg of cocaine from rival drug trafficking organisations in the Los Angeles area between March 2024 and July 2025.
A second federal indictment targets Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, another jailed gangster in India whom prosecutors describe as an associate-turned-rival of Bishnoi and the head of a separate transnational criminal organisation.
According to the DoJ, the Bhagwanpuria syndicate operates across the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, with more than 1,000 members and associates worldwide, including over 100 in the US.
The indictment alleges that the organisation engaged in murder-for-hire, kidnappings, extortion, drug trafficking, illegal firearms dealing and corruption of law enforcement officials in India. US prosecutors also allege that the syndicate worked with corrupt public officials to file false criminal cases against rivals and extort money from victims.
Among those charged is Gurinderjit Singh, identified by US authorities as a Punjab Police officer.
Addressing a press conference, first assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said the officer had been charged but was not yet in custody. "We have charged him and we will extradite him to the US," he said.
According to the indictment, Gurinderjit Singh allegedly worked with members of the Bhagwanpuria syndicate in an extortion scheme involving a family that was falsely implicated in a murder case in Punjab. Mr Essayli also alleged that the police officer extorted about US$400,000 from a family in Los Angeles.
The third indictment charges Ravinder Singh Dhanda, also known as Randy, Rolex and John Wick, along with 10 others, with operating a large-scale drug trafficking network that allegedly transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California into Canada.
According to prosecutors, narcotics were concealed inside long-haul trucks, including farm vehicles, before being smuggled across the US-Canada border. The indictment specifically alleges the transportation of more than 430kg of cocaine between July 2023 and November 2024.
Announcing the operation, Mr Essayli said, "Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice."
FBI Los Angeles assistant director in charge Patrick Grandy says the coordinated operation targeted three violent organisations accused of terrorising communities through killings, kidnappings and extortion.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner Mike Duheme says authorities had disrupted organised criminal groups that used "murder, cruelty and fear" to control and extort victims in both Canada and the US.
The investigation involved the FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Customs and Border Protection and multiple law enforcement agencies in the US, Canada, Spain and other countries.
The DoJ emphasises that the indictments contain allegations only and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, many of the accused face mandatory minimum prison terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under US federal law.
