CALGARY: Nine alleged gangsters of Indian origin were among those arrested and charged by law enforcement in two Western provinces in Canada, in coordination with federal agencies, as they busted a major drug trafficking ring.
According to the news reports in Canadian media, the investigations that were part of the joint operation lasted 18 months and targeted a “violent drug trafficking network operating in Calgary and throughout Western Canada”, according to a statement issued by the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
Investigators in Calgary alleged that the network “had been engaged in conflict with a rival drug trafficking network in the city, and that combined, the two groups were responsible for more than 20 violent events in Calgary that spanned just over a year, including a double homicide that occurred in April 2019”.
The alleged gang members are mainly Indo-Canadians. Those arrested in Calgary were identified as Amandeep Saggu, 31, Ravneet Gill, 25, Prabhjyot Bhatti, 22, Jarmanjit Datewas, 23, Jaskaran Sidhu, 22, and Jasman Dhaliwal, 19. Also arrested in Calgary were Steven Whyte, 27, Safwan Riaz, 22 and Irkham Farooq, 23.
Those arrested in Saskatoon included 26-year-old Japjee Minhas, 28-year-old Rajandeep Singh and 21-year-old Gurkeert Hehar. Also arrested were Ali Sarfraz, 26, Andrew Karamat, 23, and Rachel Kidd, 28.
“From start to finish, this investigation required an incredible amount of coordination and patience from our investigators, who worked tirelessly to hold these individuals accountable. Though our work is not over, these charges are significant, and a major step towards protecting Calgarians put at risk by drug trafficking and the related violence that follows, ” Staff Sergeant Greg Cooper of the CPS Guns & Gangs Unit, said.
Among the material recovered by CPS were six firearms, over 55, 000 Canadian dollars worth of drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and patches, crack cocaine, marijuana, phenacetin, benzodiazepine, and prescription pills, and over 300, 000 in Canadian currency.
Seizures in Saskatoon included 226, 600 Canadian dollars, 4177.96 grams of cocaine, 166.99 grams of fentanyl, 67.06 grams of methamphetamine, 568.92 grams of marijuana and six vehicles.
While Indo-Canadian gangs have a history going back decades of operating in the province of British Columbia, the results of the operation announced on Tuesday are the latest evidence of their area extending further into other provinces of Canada. Multiple arrests linked to drugs and violent gang activity were also reported in Ontario this year.