Federal authorities carried out a sweeping international law enforcement operation Tuesday that resulted in the arrest of at least 11 suspects in California and more than two dozen individuals across the United States, Canada, and Europe as investigators targeted an alleged transnational organized crime network based in India.
The coordinated effort, led by federal agents in Los Angeles, focused on the Bishnoi Gang, an organization authorities accuse of operating a sprawling criminal enterprise linked to extortion, drug trafficking, targeted killings, and other violent crimes in both North America and India.
By 7 a.m. Tuesday, law enforcement agencies had executed at least 50 raids spanning multiple countries. Officials said more than two dozen suspects had been taken into custody. During the operation, investigators seized more than 2,200 pounds of cocaine and heroin, approximately $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms.
Authorities said at least five suspects were arrested in the San Francisco Bay Area, while at least eight were taken into custody in the Los Angeles region. Additional arrests were made in Indiana and Georgia, as well as three in Canada and one in Spain. Investigators also executed 23 search warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 more in the Los Angeles area.
Law enforcement officials said they continue to search for seven fugitives believed to be in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
“The defendants charged in today’s indictment are alleged to have engaged in some of the most violent and barbaric activities we’ve seen,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. He added that there would be “zero tolerance for violent gangs in our communities, especially those from foreign nations who are not legally present in our country.”
Canadian authorities have designated the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization. Prosecutors also said the organization infiltrated Cricket Canada to facilitate alleged match-fixing and corruption.
Dubbed “Operation Hard Ball,” the investigation followed years of federal work targeting three Indian crime syndicates allegedly led by members of the Bishnoi organization. Prosecutors allege the groups engaged in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, large-scale drug trafficking, and other criminal activity.
Court documents identify 33-year-old Lawrence Bishnoi as the gang’s leader, alleging he directs the criminal enterprise from prison in India through trusted associates and regional leaders. Prosecutors claim those individuals carried out kidnappings, assaults, extortion schemes, drug trafficking, shootings, maimings, and targeted killings on his behalf.
Among the crimes outlined in the indictment is the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a political and religious leader originally from India who was living in Canada. Authorities allege Bishnoi ordered two gunmen to kill Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Court filings further allege the gang used high-profile acts of violence against religious, political, and community leaders to intimidate victims and support extortion efforts.
Prosecutors also cited a November 2023 shooting at the Vancouver home of Indian actor and singer Gippy Grewal, which Bishnoi allegedly claimed responsibility for in a Facebook post written in Punjabi.
Authorities said gang members demanded millions of dollars through threats of violence, including an alleged attempt in January to extort $5 million from a wealthy resident of Thousand Oaks.
Investigators further allege the organization financed its operations through international drug trafficking and by stealing narcotics from rival criminal groups. Court records claim the gang stole more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine from rival organizations in Los Angeles between March 2024 and July 2025, often transporting drugs into Canada using long-haul semi-trucks.
The indictment charges Bishnoi and eight other defendants with racketeering, extortion, and trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine.
Tuesday’s operation also targeted members of the Bhagwanpuria Gang, another India-based criminal organization founded by imprisoned gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, whom prosecutors describe as a former associate turned rival of Bishnoi. Authorities allege the gang has more than 1,000 members worldwide, including more than 100 in the United States, and is involved in contract killings, drug trafficking, kidnappings, extortion, and weapons trafficking.
Federal prosecutors also charged British Columbia resident Ravinder Singh Dhanda with allegedly smuggling hundreds of pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine each week from the United States into Canada. According to court documents, the organization transported drugs using semi-trucks and farming vehicles departing from Los Angeles, West Covina, Ontario, Fontana, and Perris.
The operation involved multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
