Bishnoi gang members charged with ordering hit on B.C. Sikh leader, U.S. announces arrests

A significant international law enforcement operation has led to charges against leaders of three major transnational organized crime groups, officials announced Tuesday. The crackdown, involving agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe, targets networks engaged in widespread criminal activities.

The FBI and the RCMP revealed several arrests and charges against key figures, including Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. These groups are implicated in a range of crimes such as extortions, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and violent acts. Notably, they are linked to the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

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The charges set forth in the indictment include allegations that the Bishnoi, that Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar directed the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada identified by his initials … in the indictment.

According to Bilal A. Essay, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the indictment alleges that Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar directed Nijjar's assassination. "The gang used this assassination and other high-profile acts of violence to terrorize Sikh and other Indian communities, and they used acts of violence to legitimize and bolster widespread extortion schemes," Essay stated during a press conference.

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The gang used this assassination and other high-profile acts of violence to terrorize Sikh and other Indian communities, and they used acts of violence to legitimize and bolster widespread extortion schemes.

Lawrence Bishnoi is currently imprisoned in India, while Satinderjeet Singh, known as Goldy Brar, is alleged to be the North American leader of the Bishnoi enterprise. Canada designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity in September 2025. The indictment also details charges against Ravinder Singh Dhanda and others for transporting and distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine weekly from the U.S. into Canada.

Dhanda allegedly operated a drug distribution network facilitating international smuggling for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The drugs were reportedly concealed and transported on long-haul semi-trucks from the Los Angeles area to the U.S.-Canada border.

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In November 2023, Bishnoi claimed responsibility for a separate shooting that occurred at the Vancouver home of a prominent Indian actor and singer and warned in the Punjabi language in a Facebook post, “no one can save you from us.”