The US 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, marking a major development in the high-profile killing that strained diplomatic ties.
The charges were announced as part of "Operation Hard Ball", a sweeping FBI-led international crackdown that resulted in the arrest of 24 alleged members and associates of the Bishnoi gang across the US, Canada and Europe.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), authorities executed more than 50 search warrants and arrested suspects in California, Indiana, Georgia, Canada and Spain as part of a years-long investigation. Announcing the coordinated enforcement action, the DOJ said 37 defendants have been charged across three separate federal indictments involving three India-based organised crime groups. Of them, 24 have been arrested, while 10 remain fugitives.
One of the three federal indictments focusses on jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whom US prosecutors accuse of directing a global criminal enterprise from prison in India.
According to a PTI report, the indictment states that Bishnoi and Brar ordered the assassination of Nijjar, identified in court documents as "HSN.", outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
The killing sparked a major diplomatic row after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged links between Indian government agents and the murder, a claim New Delhi dismissed as "absurd and motivated."
According to the indictment, Bishnoi used contraband mobile phones and internet-based communication devices to oversee alleged political assassinations, murders, extortion, kidnappings, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other criminal activities across multiple countries.
Prosecutors also named alleged key associates Goldy Brar, identified as the syndicate's North American leader, and Rohit Godara, who allegedly oversaw operations in Europe. According to the indictment, both men helped coordinate the gang's activities outside India.
US prosecutors allege the organisation used violence to intimidate victims, particularly within Indian diaspora communities, while promoting its criminal reputation through social media and online posts to strengthen its influence.
The DOJ also alleges the Bishnoi enterprise financed its operations through international cocaine trafficking and extortion.
According to prosecutors, gang members threatened victims through encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, demanding millions of dollars while warning of violence against victims and their families. Investigators also allege the syndicate stole cocaine shipments from rival trafficking groups and coordinated narcotics smuggling between the United States and Canada.
The second federal indictment targets the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria organisation, which prosecutors describe as another India-based criminal syndicate with operations extending into the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the indictment, the organisation engaged in murder-for-hire, kidnappings, extortion, weapons trafficking and international drug smuggling while allegedly using corrupt officials in India to target rivals and facilitate criminal activities.
A third indictment focuses on an alleged Canada-based drug trafficking network headed by Ravinder Singh Dhanda. Prosecutors allege the group transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California into Canada using long-haul transport routes and concealed shipments.
Investigators also executed dozens of search warrants, including 23 in the Sacramento area and 11 in Los Angeles, as part of the sweeping crackdown.
The operation led to the seizure of nearly 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, 12 firearms and $40,000 in cash, according to the DOJ.
US officials described the action as one of the most significant international operations targeting organised crime groups operating 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.
FBI officials said the operation struck at the core of violent criminal organisations operating across several countries.
"Today’s coordinated operation strikes at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad," said Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.
The sweeping investigation was carried out jointly by the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Customs and Border Protection, and multiple law enforcement agencies across North America and Europe.
Canada's national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), said the coordinated operation marked a major step in dismantling three transnational organised crime networks led by Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.
In a statement, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said it had played a key role in the years-long investigation, working closely with the FBI and other international partners to identify and disrupt the criminal networks.
The RCMP said it remains committed to identifying, investigating and dismantling organised crime groups that pose a significant threat to public safety in Canada, adding that cooperation with international law enforcement agencies will continue as the investigation moves forward.
