According to the US Court, Guramrit Sidhu from Brampton known as “the King”occupied the position of organizer, supervisor and manager, and in this role obtained substantial income and resources.
Three Indian-origin men from Brampton and Calgary have been charged in a US court of Justice along with 16 others for allegedly running a network to traffic and import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and other controlled substances from Mexico through Los Angeles for export to Canada or re-distribution throughout the United States.
According to RCMP, Ayush Sharma, 25, of Brampton, Canada; Subham Kumar, 29, of Calgary, Canada; and Guramrit Sidhu, 60, of Brampton, Canada along with 2 other Canadians were arrested under an international arrest warrant and will be extradited for trial in the United States. The five men are allegedly part of a criminal organization smuggling drugs, including cocaine, from the United States to Canada by land.
The five Canadians, and others from US and Mexico were charged in an investigation, known as “Operation Dead Hand,” for their alleged roles in the organized crime syndicate, including Mexico-based suppliers who brought large quantities of narcotics into the United States, United States distributors, a Canadian who led an exportation organization, Canadian-based semi-truck drivers who operate in the United States, and a large-scale Canadian trafficker and Italian organized crime figure,” the US court said.
Sidhu is alleged to have orchestrated the trafficking and exportation of large-scale quantities of controlled substances to Canada working with several co-defendants described as suppliers. Ivan Gravel Gonzalez is alleged to be part of Sidhu’s exportation team based in the United States. Sidhu, also known as “King,” is charged with one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. According to the indictment, Sidhu occupied a position of organizer, supervisor and manager, and in this role obtained substantial income and resources.
Investigators developed information indicating the organized crime group used Canadian “handlers” and “dispatchers” who travelled from Canada to Los Angeles for short amounts of time. The handlers coordinated the pick-up and delivery of large shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine, which were loaded onto long-haul semi-trucks destined for Canada. Wholesale quantities of fentanyl were seized as a result of the investigation. The transportation was coordinated by a network of drivers working with dozens of trucking companies who made numerous border crossings from the United States to Canada via the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, the Buffalo Peace Bridge, and the Blue Water Bridge.
Thanks to collaboration between the FBI and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), $940,000 in cash, 70 kg of cocaine and 4 kg of heroin were seized in Canada. The estimated wholesale value of the narcotics seized was between $16-28 million.\
“Organized crime groups continue to bring increasingly toxic drugs into our communities, a trend that has had a devastating impact on many Canadians, and most regrettably, our children and youth. As Canada’s national police force, the RCMP is dedicated to disrupting the flow of illegal drugs into our country, looking beyond our borders to where these threats originate and stopping them at the source. This operation demonstrates the close work we do with our international partners to combat transnational organized crime, helping keep our communities safe on both sides of the border,” said Chief Superintendent Mathieu Bertrand of RCMP.
“Drug trafficking is a global problem being driven by sophisticated, organized crime groups who put profits over people’s lives,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Motivated by greed, these criminals destroy lives, devastate families, and wreak havoc in our community. But this case shows that we will collaborate with our international partners to bring these criminal networks to justice. Those who traffic in highly addictive and dangerous drugs will be held accountable.”
