A recent international law enforcement operation resulted in the apprehension of 24 suspected members of three transnational organized crime groups in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The US Department of Justice disclosed that 37 individuals faced charges in California under ‘Operation Hard Ball’, a prolonged investigation targeting criminal syndicates with operations in India, North America, and Europe. Thirteen suspects were detained in the US, with additional arrests made in Canada and Spain, while seven others were already in custody, and a search was ongoing for 10 fugitives in the US, India, and Europe.
Authorities seized around 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, approximately $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms during the operation in California. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli emphasized the commitment to bringing transnational criminal gangs to justice, stating that law enforcement agencies across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia were resolute in dismantling these criminal organizations wherever they operated.
Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, highlighted the impact of the coordinated operation on three violent transnational groups that had inflicted fear, violence, and suffering on families and communities in the US and beyond. He affirmed the authorities’ dedication to identifying and disrupting such violent organizations to ensure they faced the consequences of their actions.
One of the indictments focused on Lawrence Bishnoi, a imprisoned gang leader from Punjab, accused of overseeing a global criminal enterprise engaged in various illegal activities. Prosecutors alleged that Bishnoi orchestrated political assassinations, drug trafficking, and other criminal acts from prison, with operations spanning India, the US, and other regions. The charges included the assassination of an individual in British Columbia and extortion schemes in California, along with significant cocaine trafficking between the US and Canada.
Separate indictments targeted the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria syndicate, implicated in murder-for-hire schemes, kidnappings, narcotics trafficking, and extortion, often in collaboration with corrupt officials. Another indictment addressed a Canada-based trafficking network involved in smuggling large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine from Southern California into Canada using long-haul trucks.
If convicted, the accused individuals could face mandatory minimum prison terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.
