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Jul 8, 2026 7:22 AM - Connect Newsroom - Ramandeep Kaur with files from The Canadian Press

Joint operation by RCMP and FBI to take down organized crime groups

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Police tape outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., following the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.(Photo: The Canadian Press)

Canada's RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told a press conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, in presence of the Federal Bureau of Investigation representatives, that 24 arrests have been made and several charges have been laid in connection with global organized crime networks.

The RCMP released a news release after the press conference in which it named Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria about the crimes in Canada. The statement suggested that the groups and individuals are involved in crimes such as extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping and violence in Canada and the US, most notably in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case.

Operation Hard ball - This operation was carried out jointly in Canada, America and Europe. Under this, 24 suspects from various organized crime groups including the Bishnoi gang have been arrested for the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case and other crimes. Eleven people from these gangs have been arrested in California, one accused each in Georgia and Indiana, while three have been arrested in Canada and one in Spain. Canada's RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told a news conference in Los Angeles that three Canadians have been arrested in British Columbia on Wednesday as part of this operation, while the fourth accused is still absconding in Europe and his search is ongoing.

A news release identified the 3 people arrested in B.C. as Ravinder Singh Dhanda, Jaskaran Bagri and Gurtej Singh Smagh.

Mike Duheme said that the 3 people arrested in BC can be extradited to the U.S. He said that RCMP officials have been working closely with the American investigative agency FBI for the last two years to expose this organized crime. Along with this, the FBI has announced a reward of 50,000 US dollars for information about gangster Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar.

For more information check the news release by the US and Canadian authorities. Click the following links:

Statement from the Commissioner of the RCMP on the joint operation taking down leadership of organiz…

Central District of California | International Crackdown on India-Based Organized Crime Gangs Resul…

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