Shehnaz Singh was six when his parents―Harbhajan Singh and Gurpreet Kaur―left the village of Mandiala in Batala, a former industrial hub in Punjab, for the greener shores of Canada. This was in 1999 and, like most immigrant families from Punjab, they found an opportunity in the trucking business. There was a strong diaspora network and Punjabis had a historical connection with driving trucks back home. Harbhajan established himself in the transport business and became a Canadian citizen; Gurpreet secured permanent residency.
Left in the care of his uncle, Shehnaz studied at S.L. Bawa DAV College and later got a bachelor’s degree from Baring College in Batala. He spent several summers in Mandiala, dreaming of the day he would join his parents. In 2014, Shehnaz travelled to Brampton, Ontario, to join his father’s transport business. He had dreams of expanding the trucking business, but was instead drawn into its dark underbelly.
Shehnaz’s name appeared in the case file
The porous borders meant that trucks were no longer carrying only legitimate goods, but were also acting as mules for drug cartels in Colombia, Mexico and New York. According to the US Department of Justice, more than 60 per cent of illegal drugs are transported over land―not air or water―with trucks being the most popular mode to bring drugs into the US camouflaged as cotton candy and other items. This industry is reportedly worth millions of dollars.
The thriving scene motivated Harbhajan and Shehnaz to expand; it is not clear when they got into it, but at their peak, in a week, they ran more than 450 trucks between Colombia and Toronto, making at least five stops along the way. The trucks smuggled sealed consignments of drugs from Colombia, the world’s cocaine manufacturing hub, which were then transported to destinations including New York, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Toronto. By the time law enforcement caught up with Shehnaz―now operating under the alias Shawn Bhinder―he had built one of the most elusive narcotics networks spanning the US and Canada.
The empire seemed untouchable until one of his drivers, Gurlal Singh, got greedy. In April 2024, Gurlal, part of a six-member syndicate of five Indians and one Canadian, stole nearly 500 kilos of cocaine from a shipment he was supposed to deliver. He was joined by three gang members―Taqdeer Singh alias Romi, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabi and Fernando Valladares alias Franco―who helped him hide the cache in different places, including in two New York hotels. While they were hoping to disappear with the booty earned from the stolen drugs, their betrayal did not go unnoticed. Shehnaz, joined by Amritpal alias Amrit and Amritpal alias Cheema, tracked them down and demanded the return of the consignment. When Gurlal refused, he was allegedly shot in the leg. The gunfire alerted local authorities, but the men had fled before they could be apprehended. Within hours, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was on the case.
On February 26 this year, Cheema was arrested in California, Romi and Sabi in Ohio, Franco in New York, and Amrit and Gurlal in Pennsylvania. Shehnaz was absconding. The FBI seized 391 kilos of methamphetamine, 109 kilos of cocaine and four firearms from this gang from various locations across the US. Acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York Matthew Podolsky told the US court that Shehnaz and his associates not only imported dangerous drugs to sell across the US, but also armed themselves and endangered communities. Francis J. Russo, director of field operations for the New York field office in US Customs and Border Protection, told the court, “[Law enforcement agencies] are relentlessly pursuing the most vicious and brutal criminal drug organisations in the world who do business globally and right here in local communities and neighbourhoods.”
The cross-border trade, from Colombia to the US and Canada, was indeed lucrative. “It (drug consignment) costs roughly about $4,000-5,000 per kilo in Colombia,” Amrit told interrogators. “When it reached America, it’s worth $12,000 to $13,000. When it reaches Canada, it is $30,000.”
Law enforcement officers said this single drug cartel was moving around 600 kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine a week across the US and Canada, pegging their weekly earning at around $6,00,000. This is in sharp contrast to the total drug seizures of around 1,400 kilos in the entire year in Punjab. “The domestic drug seizures are minimal as compared to the drug hauls abroad,” said Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Rana. “The reason the transnational drug syndicates in Canada and the US are a pressing concern is that they are also financing crime and gangsterism in Punjab, including targeted killings.”
The FBI discovered that Shehnaz’s father was already serving time in a US prison for similar drug trafficking charges. Yet, Shehnaz had managed to keep his identity separate from his father’s criminal past. With his name now appearing on the law enforcement radar, Shehnaz knew his time was running out.
On March 2, Shehnaz fled the US for India, seeking refuge in Batala. He retreated to his family’s palatial bungalow―a symbol of the wealth amassed through the trucking empire. He travelled to Ludhiana to stay with his in-laws using the cover of his wife, a Canadian permanent resident.
What he failed to realise was that the Punjab Police had been closely monitoring drug networks with links to Canada. Last December, five shooters connected to Amritpal Batth―another drug lord hiding in Canada―were arrested in Punjab, and Shehnaz’s name appeared in the case file. On March 10, Shehnaz was on his way from Ludhiana to Chandigarh in an SUV, carrying an unlicensed weapon, when Punjab Police intercepted and arrested him.
The arrest triggered interest from the FBI, which had lost track of him. With his father in prison, his sister living in Maryland, and his mother visiting Punjab, the once-powerful drug syndicate was fractured.
For Indian authorities, Shehnaz’s case presents a strategic opportunity. The extradition of criminals between India, the US and Canada has been a contentious issue, particularly regarding persons involved in drug trafficking, organised crime and terrorism. Shehnaz’s arrest strengthens India’s position in negotiating the return of wanted fugitives hiding in North America, including those linked to terrorism and pro-Khalistan activities. Diplomatic sources told THE WEEK that Indian agencies are now negotiating the extradition of some of the wanted criminals hiding in US in exchange for Shehnaz after the FBI showed interest in having him extradited.
This is not the first time a drug cartel with direct links to Mexican and Colombian suppliers―operated by an Indian syndicate in Canada―has come to light. It highlights the vast transnational crime networks that operate under the guise of legitimate businesses. A government official noted that Shehnaz’s case has given Indian authorities increased leverage in their efforts to dismantle these criminal networks that became a bone of contention with the then Justin Trudeau government last year. “Drugs are used in a big way to fund terror activities,” said N.R. Wasan, former special director general in the National Investigation Agency. “Whether it is Afghanistan, Syria or Canada, we have seen that drugs play a major role in collecting funds easily to fund terror activities. It is a lucrative business, too, which is why the trucking business on the US-Canada border needs attention if it is emerging as a source of drug smuggling.”
Batth, for instance, has more than ten cases against him in Punjab, but continues to enjoy a comfortable life in Canada. Cooperation with the FBI can help Punjab Police get critical information on other foreign syndicates run by drug smugglers like Gurjant Bholu and Sunny Dyal, who are involved in drug trafficking and illegal weapon distribution across Punjab.
Diplomatic and security concerns demand that all three countries work together to re-examine the web of drug smuggling. Experts believe that this bust might lead to a re-evaluation of their commitment to countering international smuggling syndicates.
Whether it is India urging the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to take action against Khalistani terror outfits on US soil or the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing keenness to rebuild ties with India, the time seems ripe for counter-terror cooperation.
“Unless all countries come together, it is not possible to counter the terror-drug nexus impacting their people and economies,” said Wasan. “Counter-terror cooperation and exchange of information is essential because these battles cannot be won in silos.”