US indicts Lawrence Bishnoi gang for Nijjar killing, international drug trafficking
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) on July 8 announced the indictment of three Punjab-linked transnational organised crime syndicates operating across India, Canada, the United States, and Europe. A key allegation is that Lawrence Bishnoi—a 33-year-old gangster from Punjab currently held in a high-security prison in Ahmedabad, Gujarat—and his associate Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, ordered the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist designated as a terrorist by India, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
The investigation has resulted in multiple arrests, large drug seizures, and indictments for extortion, racketeering, murder-for-hire, and drug trafficking. DoJ officials stated that 37 individuals have been charged so far, with 24 defendants connected to the three crime groups arrested in the United States, Canada, and Spain. Authorities are searching for 10 fugitives—seven in the United States, two in India, and one in Europe.
The central organisation in the case is the Lawrence Bishnoi Organised Crime Group (OCG), described by prosecutors as a transnational criminal enterprise headquartered in India with operations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. The indictment alleges that the group was founded and led by Lawrence Bishnoi and continued to function while he was incarcerated. Goldy Brar allegedly managed North American operations, while Rohit Godara oversaw activities in Europe.
The second organisation is the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria group, led by Jagtar Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, currently imprisoned in Assam's Silchar jail. US authorities describe it as a separate transnational crime syndicate with a significant presence in India, Canada, the United States, and other countries, claiming it has over 1,000 members and associates worldwide. The group emerged as a rival to the Bishnoi organisation but developed its own international criminal infrastructure.
The third major network is associated with Ravinder Singh Dhanda, a Canada-based accused of running a large cross-border narcotics operation primarily focused on moving drugs between countries, particularly the United States and Canada.
The DoJ accused the Bishnoi network of targeted killings, shootings, kidnappings, assaults, and public threats to create a climate of fear among businessmen, celebrities, and members of the Indian diaspora. The objective, according to investigators, was to facilitate extortion and enhance the gang's reputation. The indictment also alleges that the group transported cocaine and methamphetamine across North America and stole narcotics shipments from rival trafficking organisations.
According to the indictment, Sukhraj Singh Kang—a senior India-based lieutenant in the Lawrence Bishnoi OCG who directed and coordinated acts of violence committed by members and associates in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere—provided key evidence. Prosecutors say that on January 25, 2025, Kang agreed to help a confidential informant recover a purported debt of $100,000 to $200,000 through extortion, in return for a fee of $16,000. Investigators then provided a staged video purporting to show a shooting at the debtor's residence. Members of the alleged conspiracy believed the video was real and used it to intimidate the intended victim. In reality, the supposed debtor was an undercover law-enforcement agent. The indictment alleges that, over the following months, Kang and others conspired to commit multiple violent acts in the United States and Canada.
