What was in U.S. indictments targeting alleged Canada-linked crime groups?

LOS ANGELES — An indictment released by U.S. authorities on Tuesday includes fresh details about the alleged involvement of Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and others in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Two other indictments meanwhile outline alleged cross-border criminal activities by two other organized crime groups.

Here’s a look at what was in the indictments.

THE BISHNOI INDICTMENT

— The nine-count indictment returned by a U.S. federal grand jury on July 1 says Bishnoi, who is in an Indian prison, oversees a global crime group with thousands of members and associates worldwide, including hundreds in Canada and the United States.

— It accuses Bishnoi of ordering the June 2023 assassination of Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. Bishnoi is accused of providing a photo of Nijjar to one of four men previously accused of killing him.

— Bishnoi is alleged to have taken responsibility for a November 2023 shooting at the B.C. home of an Indian actor and singer identified as “R.G.,” in an incident that matches a shooting at the West Vancouver, B.C., home of Rupinder Grewal, better known as Gippy Grewal.

— Alleged Bishnoi lieutenant Satinderjit Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, is accused of calling the singer and his manager multiple times, also claiming responsibility and demanding payment. Brar is alleged to have left a phone message in Punjabi, threatening the singer, “you can ignore my message, you will not be able to ignore the bullets coming your way.”

— Brar, who remains at large, is accused of trying to extort an immigration consultant in Surrey, B.C., leaving threats from June to August last year demanding $500,000. He allegedly left voice messages saying “it’s your turn to file your taxes” and “get $500,000 ready, if you ignore me then I’m happy to kill you.”

— Bishnoi and his associates are also accused of attempting to extort others in Ontario, California and Britain, as well as involvement in international drug trafficking and stealing drug shipments from rival gangs.

THE BHAGWANPURIA INDICTMENT

— Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and his associates are accused of involvement in an international crime syndicate with members in the United States, Canada, Britain and elsewhere.

— Bhagwanpuria, who is in prison in India, is accused of trying to smuggle cocaine from Los Angeles to Vancouver in February.

— Vancouver resident Garinder Deo allegedly helped enrich the group by purchasing cocaine and heroin to be shipped from California to Canada and the eastern United States, including an attempted shipment in June 2025 of 99.2 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin.

— The indictment says “subnetworks” of the gang co-ordinated drug shipments across the United States and to the U.S.-Canada border on a weekly basis.

THE DHANDA INDICTMENT

— Ravinder Singh Dhanda of Vancouver, Jaskarn Baghri of Surrey, B.C., and Gurtej Singh Smagh, of Creston, B.C., are charged in an eight-count indictment with allegedly smuggling and distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine each week from the United States into Canada.

— The indictment says the drugs were transported to the border in long-haul semi-trucks.

— Smagh is accused of assisting by getting the drugs across the border on farm trucks used on working farms at the U.S.-Canada border.

— Dhanda, Bagri and Smagh allegedly met in Surrey in January 2025 to co-ordinate logistics for smuggling future loads of cocaine and methamphetamine into Canada, with Dhanda allegedly saying he intended to start a new “cartel.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.

Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press