Dubbed “Operation Hard Ball,” the action followed a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime networks whose activities, officials said, have harmed diaspora communities worldwide. Three unsealed indictments name 37 defendants in total, two of whom ran their networks from prison in India.
Of those arrested in the US, 11 were held in California, one in Indiana and one in Georgia. Canadian police arrested three more, and one defendant was held in Spain; seven others were already in custody. Ten remain at large — seven believed to be in the US, two in India and one in Europe.
Investigators seized about 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms, and carried out 34 search warrants across Sacramento and Los Angeles. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said law enforcement is working to dismantle these networks, adding, “There is no safe harbour for these thugs.”
Temple Killing
The first indictment names Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, a gang leader imprisoned in India, on nine counts. Prosecutors say he built a public image as a religious nationalist while secretly directing assassinations, shootings, extortion, kidnapping and trafficking via smuggled phones, aided by lieutenants Satinderjeet Singh (“Goldy Brar”) and Rohit Godara, who led operations in North America and Europe, respectively. Canada designated the network a terrorist entity in 2025.
Bishnoi and Brar are charged with ordering the June 2023 murder of a Punjab-based leader, identified as “H.S.N.”, shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The indictment also alleges extortion attempts in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, and drug thefts totalling roughly 570 kilograms of cocaine from rival gangs.
Jailhouse Bosses
A second indictment charges 17 people tied to a network led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, a former Bishnoi associate turned rival, also jailed in India. Prosecutors say the group, with over 1,000 members worldwide, bribed Indian police to file false cases against rivals and informants.
One member allegedly had a victim’s family falsely accused of murder in India after tipping off a corrupt officer; another allegedly threatened a US family from immigration custody. A Vancouver man allegedly bought bulk cocaine and heroin from the network for shipment to the eastern US.
Drug Pipeline
A third indictment charges 11 people, including Ravinder Singh Dhanda (“John Wick”) of Vancouver, over a smuggling operation moving cocaine and methamphetamine weekly from the US into Canada, hidden in long-haul and farm trucks. The indictment alleges a single shipment of over 430 kilograms of cocaine between 2023 and 2024.
Case Details
All defendants are presumed innocent; convictions carry 10 years to life in prison. The FBI, LAPD, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and US Customs and Border Protection led the investigation, with support from agencies in Spain, India, Mexico and across the US.