OTTAWA: Authorities in Canada have escalated their crackdown on a series of extortion cases that have been reported across British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, with investigators now analysing the involvement of over hundred foreign nationals, a report has stated.
The British Columbia Extortion Task Force, established by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 2025, has identified 111 foreign nationals whose involvement in these incidents is being investigated.
Among those, several of those investigated are suspected of belonging from the Punjabi community, according to officials. They, however, mentioned that probe is driven by evidence and not community-specific, Khalsa Vox reported.
Investigators are examining closed-circuit television footage and digital and forensic material to find networks believed to be functioning in various jurisdictions. The cases include threats and demands for money that have targeted individuals and businesses, creating fear in several areas.
In a statement released earlier this week, the task force stated that immigration or refugee status would protect anyone found involved in criminal activity. The statement said, "No one is above the law, " stressing that asylum claims or refugee protections would not stop criminal charges or action from the immigration authorities, according to the report.
Since its establishment in September last year, the task force has taken over 32 extortion-related files from police agencies in British Columbia. RCMP noted that efforts have been made in the past four months to link isolated incidents, dismantle organised groups, and stop further offences.
Last month, a report had cited that Canada, which right now stands at the crossroads, can either continue treating Khalistani extremism and Punjabi-Canadian gang violence as two different issues or can trace the financial links and acknowledge that they are increasingly interconnected.
It added that enhanced border security, financial intelligence cooperation with trusted partners, and a zero-tolerance approach to laundering of drug money through political or charitable fronts would mark meaningful first steps.