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    COVER STORY                                                               JULY 17, 2026    |  The Indian Eye                    5

            tral role investigators believe he now                                                                sections of the police force, though
            plays.                                                                                                those claims remain political allega-
                The FBI alleges that Satinder-                                                                    tions.
            jeet Singh, better known as Goldy                                                                         Whether such allegations with-
            Brar, heads the Lawrence Bishnoi                                                                      stand legal scrutiny remains to be
            Organized Crime Group in North                                                                        seen, but they underscore how inter-
            America. A federal arrest warrant                                                                     national investigations can quickly
            was issued on July 1 after prosecu-                                                                   reshape domestic political debates.
            tors charged him with racketeering                                                                            The road ahead
            conspiracy, attempted interference
            with commerce by extortion and con-                                                                          peration  Hard  Ball  reflects
            spiracy to distribute controlled sub-                                                                        a broader evolution in orga-
            stances.                                                                                              Onized crime. Criminal groups
                According to investigators, Brar                                                                  increasingly exploit diaspora net-
            maintains links to Sacramento and        (from left to right): Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldy Brar and Hardeep Singh Nijjar   works,  encrypted  communications,
            Fresno in California while also oper-                                                                 international banking systems and
            ating across Canada, India and Mex-  matic confrontation.           dation of businesses and individuals   global narcotics markets.
            ico. Those geographical connections   “India and the U.S. are great   forms an important revenue stream.   The FBI’s decision to place a
            indicate investigators believe the or-  friends,” Verma said, adding that   Drug trafficking appears to pro-  monetary reward on Brar and public-
            ganization has established multiple   investigative  agencies  regularly  ex-  vide another pillar of the organiza-  ly identify his North American oper-
            operational hubs capable of coordi-  change information with one another   tion’s finances.           ational role suggests US authorities
            nating criminal activities across bor-  to pursue international criminals.   The alleged involvement of   believe dismantling leadership struc-
            ders.                                 His remarks also sought to sep-  Ravinder  Singh  Dhanda  in  an  in-  tures is now as important as arresting
                For American authorities, Brar                                                                    individual gunmen.
            appears to represent more than an   arate criminal investigations involv-  ternational narcotics network, com-  For India, the investigation rais-
                                              ing Indian nationals from questions
                                                                                bined  with cocaine  seizures  during
            individual fugitive. He is alleged to   about India’s international standing.  Operation Hard Ball, indicates in-  es uncomfortable questions about
            be the operational bridge connecting   “India is not under investiga-  vestigators are  mapping how illicit   how local criminal organizations ac-
            criminal networks in India with activ-  tion,” he noted, arguing that only   profits  move  through  international   quire global reach. For Canada and
            ities across North America.       specific individuals accused of crim-  criminal channels.           the United States, it highlights how
                 The Nijjar investigation     inal offences are facing legal scrutiny.   Political fallout in Punjab  domestic public safety is increasingly
                                                                                                                  affected by organized crime that orig-
                  erhaps the most politically sig-  Following the money               he American investigation has   inates thousands of kilometers away.
                  nificant  aspect  of  Operation                                                                     The indictments do not represent
            PHard Ball is its treatment of          lthough the indictments focus     also reverberated within Pun-  convictions. Every defendant remains
                                                    on violent crime, investigators  Tjab. Shiromani Akali Dal lead-
            the Nijjar assassination.         Aappear equally interested in     er Bikram Singh Majithia seized on   presumed innocent until proven
                Since former Canadian Prime                                                                       guilty, a point repeatedly empha-
            Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that   financial  infrastructure.  Extortion   reports that an FBI case also involves   sized by the US Justice Department.
                                              has  emerged  as  one  of  the  defining
                                                                                Punjab  Police  officer  Gurinder-
            there was credible intelligence link-  features of the Bishnoi-Brar orga-  jit Singh Nagra in an alleged USD   But Operation Hard Ball already
            ing Indian agents to Nijjar’s killing,   nization.  Prosecutors  have  charged   400,000 extortion case.  represents a watershed moment.
            the issue has dominated India-Can-  Brar with conspiracy to interfere with   Majithia alleged the  develop-  It is the most comprehensive pub-
            ada relations. India consistently re-  commerce through  extortion, sug-  ment pointed to a deeper nexus in-  lic effort yet by American authorities
            jected those allegations.         gesting investigators believe intimi-  volving gangsters, politicians and   to expose what prosecutors describe
                The American indictments in-                                                                      as an international organized crime
            troduce an alternative legal path-                                                                    enterprise rooted in India but oper-
            way by alleging that the killing was                                                                  ating across continents. The arrests,
            orchestrated  by  members  of  an  or-                                                                indictments and FBI reward suggest
            ganized crime syndicate rather than                                                                   investigators are no longer treating
            directly attributing responsibility to                                                                the Bishnoi-Brar organization as a
            any state actor.                                                                                      regional gang. Instead, they are pur-
                That  distinction  is  significant                                                                suing it as a transnational criminal
            because it shifts the immediate legal                                                                 network with the reach, finances and
            focus from diplomatic accusations to                                                                  operational sophistication of a global
            criminal prosecution.                                                                                 organized crime syndicate.
                The Justice Department never-                                                                         Whether the prosecution ulti-
            theless cautioned that indictments                                                                    mately secures convictions will be de-
            remain  allegations  until  proven  be-                                                               termined in court. Yet, irrespective
            yond reasonable doubt in court.                                                                       of the judicial outcome, Operation
                Former Indian High Commis-                                                                        Hard Ball has fundamentally altered
            sioner to Canada Sanjay Verma de-                                                                     the conversation. What was once
            scribed Operation Hard Ball as a joint                                                                viewed as a series of isolated gang ri-
            effort involving investigators from the                                                               valries in Punjab is now being inves-
            United States, Canada and Europe.                                                                     tigated as part of an interconnected
                He stressed that investigative                                                                    criminal  enterprise  whose  influence
            findings  would  ultimately  have  to                                                                 extends far beyond India’s borders,
            withstand judicial scrutiny and ar-      The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrests the brother and close aide    forcing  governments across  North
            gued that international cooperation   of dreaded gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi, on his deportation from the US to India   America, Europe and South Asia to
            against organized crime should not                     on Wednesday (NIA/ANI File Photo)              confront a new generation of globally
            be viewed through the lens of diplo-                                                                  networked organized crime.

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