Surrey man among 37 charged in U.S. crackdown on Indian crime syndicates
A major investigation called Operation Hard Ball has led to charges involving the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and two other transnational crime organizations.
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Thirty-seven people have been charged in a sweeping U.S. federal investigation targeting three Indian-based transnational crime groups known for racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, and drug trafficking across international borders.
A Surrey man, Jaskarn Baghri, 50, is among those charged. According to U.S. court documents unsealed as part of Operation Hard Ball, Baghri and nine other defendants are accused of transporting, smuggling, and distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine each week from the United States into Canada. The drugs were concealed and transported on long-haul semi-trucks from the Los Angeles area to the U.S.-Canada border, sometimes hidden in farm vehicles.
The investigation also involves the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, whose leaders allegedly "ordered the assassination" of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the 45-year-old president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey's Newton neighbourhood. Nijjar was shot to death on June 18, 2023, in the gurdwara's parking lot on Scott Road. Four people are currently facing first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in B.C. Supreme Court in connection with his death.
Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in India, is alleged to run his global criminal syndicate from behind bars. The FBI, Los Angeles Police Department, RCMP, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.
