Operation Hard Ball: 24 arrested in global Indian gang crackdown
Federal authorities arrested 24 suspected members of violent, India-based transnational organized crime syndicates on Tuesday, including one person caught from Georgia, following a massive international investigation into global racketeering and drug trafficking.
Global syndicates dismantled
What we know:
Law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe executed a coordinated crackdown called "Operation Hard Ball" against three distinct crime rings. A total of 37 defendants face charges across three separate indictments unsealed on Tuesday, including two ringleaders who allegedly ran their global operations from inside an Indian prison.
The syndicates are accused of orchestrating the June 18, 2023, political assassination of a leader identified as "H.S.N." outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Investigators said the rings used long-haul semi-trucks and farm trucks to move narcotics from the Los Angeles area—including West Covina, Ontario, Fontana, and Perris—to the U.S.-Canada border.
Authorities track fugitives
What we don't know:
Federal officials have not yet identified the specific identity or exact local address of the individual arrested in Georgia. It also remains unclear where 10 remaining fugitives are hiding, though investigators stated seven are in the United States, two are in India, and one is in Europe.
Massive drug rings uncovered
By the numbers:
Agents seized roughly 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, a dozen firearms, and $40,000 in cash during the multi-year investigation. Officers executed 23 search warrants in the Sacramento area and 11 warrants in the Los Angeles area.
From March 2024 to July 2025, the enterprise led by Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, allegedly stole 520 kilograms of cocaine from rival drug trafficking gangs in the greater Los Angeles area. In November 2024, the gang also oversaw the transportation of 49 kilograms of cocaine that was intercepted in Redlands.
Ringleaders issue threats
What they're saying:
"Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government," said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli.
The gang used encrypted apps to extort victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, demanding a $5 million payment from one victim between December 2025 and January. In a November 2023 shooting at the Vancouver, Canada home of an Indian actor, Bishnoi warned on Facebook, "No one can save you from us."
Global violence escalates
The backstory:
The Canadian government designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity in September 2025. Bishnoi ran his empire via smuggled cellphones alongside trusted lieutenants Satinderjeet Singh, a.k.a. "Goldy Brar," and Rohit Godara.
A separate indictment from June 25 charges 17 defendants tied to a rival enterprise founded by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 38, which includes over 100 members in the U.S.
In April, an illegal alien member named Gurlal Singh, 22, of Stockton, California, allegedly used a corrupt Indian police officer to falsely accuse a victim's family of a January murder in India.
Cross-border networks targeted
What's next:
Those arrested in the United States—including 11 in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia—are expected to make their initial court appearances on Tuesday. Three defendants were arrested in Canada, one was caught in Spain, and seven others were already in custody.
A third indictment from June 23 charges Ravinder Singh Dhanda, Jaskarn Baghri, Gurtej Singh Smagh, and eight others for exporting hundreds of kilograms of drugs weekly into Canada. If convicted, many defendants face a mandatory minimum prison sentence between 10 years and life in federal prison.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, who detailed the indictments and arrests in an official press release, as well as statements from the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This article is being reported out of Atlanta.