CHANDIGARH, India (Diya TV) — Punjab Police in India say they have made a breakthrough and arrested Shehnaz Singh, alias Shawn Bhinder, a Brampton, Ontario-based entrepreneur who has been accused by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of running an enormous global drug cartel.
Bhinder, 33, was arrested in Punjab after a global manhunt. The FBI charges that since at least October 2023, Bhinder headed a drug trafficking conspiracy that brought cocaine into the United States, using networks of trucking firms and drivers to sell the narcotics to communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The operation is said to have received cocaine from Colombia at between $2,000 and $5,000 a kilogram. Once it landed in the U.S., its value rose to around $13,000 per kilogram before increasing further to $30,000 per kilogram in Canada. The outfit is said to have smuggled more than 600 kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine per week.
In the United States, Bhinder is charged with cocaine distribution conspiracy and possession of firearms, a drug trafficking crime.
Apart from U.S. accusations, Bhinder is also wanted by India in a December 2024 case under the Arms Act, attributed to the infamous Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Amritpal Batth gangs. Initial probes indicate that Bhinder was involved in the trafficking of massive amounts of drugs through trucks and trailers, disguising himself as a legitimate transportation company in Canada.
The arrest reflects the increasing participation of Indo-Canadians in global networks of drug trafficking. In the past few years, various residents of Brampton have been linked to such operations, which indicates an alarming trend in the trucking industry of the region.
Punjab Police are working together with foreign agencies to investigate Bhinder’s business and network further.
