International Crackdown on India-Based Organized Crime Gangs Results in 24 Arrests in U.S., Canada, and Europe

The Justice Department said today that law enforcement in the US, Canada, and Europe have detained 24 defendants, 11 of whom are in California, who are associated with three transnational organized crime groups based in India. These defendants are accused of several crimes, including the 2023 assassination of a well-known Indian political and religious figure in Canada.

Today’s law enforcement action – “Operation Hard Ball” – is the result of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates that engage in racketeering, targeted killings, shootings, extortion, the trafficking of bulk quantities of narcotics across international borders, and other crimes around the world whose impact is especially felt in the Indian diaspora. 
Three indictments released today charge a total of 37 individuals, including two who operated their international criminal syndicates while incarcerated in India. It is anticipated that those detained in the United States—11 in California, one in Indiana, and one in Georgia—will appear in federal court for the first time today.

Seven suspects were already in custody before today's law enforcement operation; three defendants were detained in Canada, and one defendant was apprehended in Spain. Ten fugitives are being sought by law enforcement: two in India, one in Europe, and seven in the United States. Law enforcement has confiscated twelve firearms, $40,000 in cash, and almost 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin as part of this investigation. A total of 23 search warrants have been executed in the Sacramento area, and 11 warrants have been executed in the Los Angeles area.

“Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs.”