The United States Department of Justice has charged jailed Punjab gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate Goldy Brar with ordering the 2023 assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The charges are part of a sweeping crackdown on transnational organized crime networks, with 37 individuals named across three indictments in what prosecutors have called 'Operation Hard Ball'.
Indictment Details and Arrests
According to the US Department of Justice, 24 people have been arrested so far in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including 11 in California. The indictments target three India-based syndicates. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli stated on X, 'Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government.' FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director in Charge Patrick Grandy said the operation struck 'at the heart of three brutal transnational organisations that have terrorised families, exploited communities, and stolen lives through ruthless acts of violence in the US and abroad.'
Bishnoi Network Operations
The indictment alleges that Lawrence Bishnoi ran his network from an Indian jail cell using smuggled phones, cultivating a public image as a nationalist and religious figure even as he directed assassinations, extortion, drug trafficking, and kidnappings across continents. Goldy Brar has been named the North American head of the enterprise, and Rohit Godara its European chief. The indictment also links the group to a November 2023 shooting at a Vancouver residence connected to a prominent Indian actor-singer, and to extortion demands of up to $5 million from victims in Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks earlier this year.
Bhagwanpuria Syndicate
Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a former Bishnoi associate turned rival, is named in a separate indictment alleging his syndicate has over 1,000 members and associates worldwide, including more than 100 in the United States. The indictment claims that Bhagwanpuria's network corrupted police officers in Punjab to file false cases against rivals and witnesses. A third indictment charges Ravinder Dhanda and associates in Canada with smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine weekly across the US-Canada border.
Seizures and Fugitives
Investigators said the operation led to the seizure of approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin, $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms. A total of 34 search warrants were executed across the Sacramento and Los Angeles areas. Ten fugitives remain at large, seven of them in the United States. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Broader Context
Nijjar's killing had already been a flashpoint in India-Canada relations after Ottawa alleged in September 2023 that Indian government agents were linked to his murder, a charge New Delhi has repeatedly denied. Bishnoi, once a university-level student politician before turning to crime in Punjab, has for years operated one of the state's most feared gangs from behind bars, with his name previously surfacing in connection with the 2022 killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala. Canada formally designated the Bishnoi network a terrorist entity in September 2025.
Bhagwanpuria, once part of the Bishnoi camp before building a rival syndicate, has for years been active in extortion rackets targeting Punjabi businessmen and non-resident Indians, with his network expanding steadily across the Indian diaspora in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Both gangs have repeatedly used social media—Facebook posts and jailhouse interviews among them—to claim credit for shootings and threats, a tactic investigators say has helped them extend their reach and instill fear well beyond Punjab's borders.
