Operation Hard Ball: 37 charged as international sweep dismantles global Indian crime syndicates

LOS ANGELES - Federal authorities have unsealed three major indictments charging 37 defendants linked to India-based transnational organized crime groups following a multi-year collaborative probe. 

Operatives are accused of utilizing widespread violence, extortion, and multi-million-dollar narcotics pipelines to terrorize communities across North America.

What we know:

Three separate federal indictments unsealed in Los Angeles outline a vast network of racketeering, targeted killings, and drug smuggling. 

The unsealed indictments reveal a highly organized, multi-continental network where imprisoned kingpins seamlessly collaborated with international cells to execute violent plots and manage lucrative smuggling pipelines, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

At least 15 of the defendants arrested in the United States are in the country illegally, U.S. First Attorney Bill Essayli announced during a press conference on Tuesday. 

At the center of the conspiracy is the Bishnoi enterprise, led by 33-year-old Lawrence Bishnoi, who managed to direct a global syndicate from his Indian prison cell using smuggled contraband cellphones. 

Alongside his North American lieutenant, Satinderjeet Singh (known as "Goldy Brar"), Bishnoi allegedly ordered the June 18, 2023, assassination of prominent Indian religious and political leader "H.S.N.," who was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia—an act that contributed to Canada designating the enterprise a terrorist entity in September 2025.

While the Bishnoi gang dominated headlines with high-profile violence, an associate-turned-rival group known as the Bhagwanpuria gang weaponized institutional corruption. 

Commanded by imprisoned gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, this 1,000-member transnational syndicate specialized in murder-for-hire, weapons trafficking, and complex extortion schemes, officials said. The group allegedly colluded with corrupt law enforcement officers in India to fabricate criminal charges against domestic rivals to squeeze victims in California.

Gunder Preet Singh, an active police chief in India, is charged with attempting to extort $400,000 from a family in Los Angeles by threatening to file false murder charges against their relatives in India. 

Additionally, a defendant named Gurudev Singh actively attempted to extort a victim while held in ICE custody by utilizing unrecorded lines or smuggled communication devices, according to authorities. 

Financing this global reign of terror required a sophisticated logistics machine, which relied heavily on specialized drug distribution networks, officials said. 

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Ravinder Singh Dhanda, operating under the alias "John Wick" from Vancouver, allegedly brokered international smuggling services for bulk quantities of narcotics across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. 

The organization utilized commercial semi-trucks to transport hundreds of pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine each week. 

The scale of this pipeline is underscored by law enforcement seizures throughout the investigation, which have netted over 1,000 kilograms of drugs (including cocaine and methamphetamine), a kilogram of heroin, dozens of firearms (including a fully automatic machine gun), and $40,000 in cash, officials said. 

These major disruptions included halting long-haul semi-trucks bound for Canada and intercepting hundreds of kilograms of cocaine that the syndicates had actively stolen from rival drug gangs in Los Angeles.

A coordinated takedown resulted in 24 targets being arrested across the United States, Canada, and Europe, while 7 individuals were already in custody, according to authorities.

In tandem with the arrests, law enforcement executed 50 federal search warrants: 23 in the Sacramento area, 19 in Los Angeles, and 7 in Canada.

Eleven defendants were arrested across California —including Los Angeles, San Ysidro, Mentone, Fontana, Fresno, Manteca, Sacramento, Stockton, and San Jose—while additional arrests were executed in Indianapolis, Georgia, Canada, and Spain, authorities said.

Gurlal Singh, identified as one of the primary leaders, was taken into custody by the FBI in Stockton.

What we don't know:

The identities of certain targeted victims, including the assassinated leader "H.S.N." and an extorted individual in India identified as "B.S.," remain shielded by court-ordered pseudonyms.

Investigators are still looking into the exact security breakdown that allowed Gurudev Singh to bypass recorded lines to run extortion schemes while inside an ICE detention facility.

Timeline:

• June 18, 2023: Gunmen assassinate prominent political and religious leader H.S.N. outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
• November 2023: Bishnoi claims responsibility for a shooting at the Vancouver residence of a prominent Indian actor and singer.
• March 2024 – July 2025: The Bishnoi enterprise steals approximately 520 kilograms of cocaine from rival drug trafficking groups in the greater Los Angeles area.
• June 2025: Law enforcement intercepts an attempted shipment of 99.2 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin linked to the Bhagwanpuria network.
• September 2025: The Canadian government officially designates the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity.
• December 2025 – January 2026: Bishnoi, Brar, and Godara attempt to extort $5 million from a victim residing in Thousand Oaks, California.
• April 2026: Bhagwanpuria syndicate member Gurlal Singh threatens a victim in California, feeding information to a corrupt official in India to instigate false murder charges against the victim's family.
• June 23–July 1, 2026: Grand juries return three separate federal indictments against members of the Dhanda, Bhagwanpuria, and Bishnoi organizations.
• July 2026: Law enforcement executes 50 search warrants and arrests 24 operatives in a synchronized international sweep.

What they're saying:

U.S. and Canadian officials emphasized that the sweeping operation underscores an unprecedented level of international collaboration against cross-border violence.

"Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs."

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"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," said Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office.

"The true measure of this operation isn’t found in the arrests or the seizures alone," said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. "It’s found in what they represent: a united commitment between the LAPD and our federal and international partners to relentlessly pursue those who threaten our communities."

"Together, we disrupted the operations of organized criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States," said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme. "We won’t pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done – we’ll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world."

What's next:

The defendants arrested within the United States are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court. 

If convicted, many face severe penalties; Ravinder Singh Dhanda faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment, while numerous other defendants face mandatory minimums ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison.

The U.S. government will formally seek the extradition of defendants currently held in Indian cells, including key leaders like Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, alongside the charged Indian police chief. 

U.S. officials noted that security protocols within the Federal Bureau of Prisons will strictly monitor and record all communications to ensure these kingpins cannot continue operating their syndicates from American cells. 

Meanwhile, the FBI has issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and extradition of fugitives who remain at large, specifically targeting Bishnoi's North American leader, Satinderjeet Singh ("Goldy Brar").