By TRH World Desk
The US Department of Justice announced sweeping racketeering charges against Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates, alleging the India-based gang orchestrated murders, extortion, drug trafficking and the 2023 assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada while operating across North America and Europe.
New Delhi, July 8, 2026 — The United States has unveiled one of its most significant crackdowns on transnational organized crime involving India-based criminal syndicates, announcing the arrest of 24 suspects across the United States, Canada and Europe while filing sweeping racketeering charges against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and several of his alleged associates.
The action, dubbed Operation Hard Ball, follows a years-long investigation led by US federal agencies in coordination with authorities in Canada, Europe and India. According to the US Department of Justice, investigators dismantled three India-based criminal organizations accused of engaging in murders, targeted killings, extortion, drug trafficking, human smuggling and other violent crimes across multiple countries.
Of the 37 defendants named in the indictments, 24 have been arrested. Eleven were taken into custody in California, while others were arrested in Indiana, Georgia, Canada and Spain. Authorities said 10 suspects remain fugitives.
The indictment alleges that Bishnoi, 33, directed a sprawling criminal enterprise from prison in India, relying on encrypted communications, contraband mobile phones and a network of trusted lieutenants to oversee operations spanning India, the United States, Canada and Europe.
Among those named are Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, described as the North American leader of the syndicate; Rohit Godara, alleged to head European operations; and Sukhraj Singh Kang, another senior associate. Prosecutors claim the trio coordinated violent attacks, extortion schemes and narcotics trafficking while acting on Bishnoi’s instructions.
One of the most consequential allegations concerns the June 18, 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Khalistani separatist leader who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The indictment alleges that Bishnoi and Goldy Brar ordered the killing, identifying Nijjar by the initials “H.S.N.” in court documents.
The Canadian government designated the Bishnoi organization as a terrorist entity in September 2025, according to the indictment.
US prosecutors also accuse the organization of intimidating members of the Indian diaspora through threats, online videos and social media messaging. The indictment claims the syndicate routinely extorted business owners and wealthy individuals using encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp, threatening violence against victims and their families.
Authorities further allege that the gang financed its operations through international cocaine trafficking. The indictment cites the interception of a 49-kilogram cocaine shipment in California in 2024 and alleges the organization was responsible for moving more than 520 kilograms of cocaine in the Los Angeles region between March 2024 and July 2025.
During the investigation, law enforcement agencies seized approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, around $400,000 in cash, and multiple firearms. Officials also executed dozens of search warrants in California.
The defendants face charges including racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion under the Hobbs Act, attempted extortion and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including cocaine and methamphetamine.
Announcing the operation, US officials described the investigation as a coordinated effort to dismantle criminal organizations operating across borders. They said authorities in the United States, Canada and Europe would continue pursuing fugitives and disrupting organized crime networks that exploit diaspora communities.
The indictment contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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