Brampton desis face charges related to drug trafficking, trafficking in stolen goods, and fraud
The Canadian Bazaar
BRAMPTON: Ten men, eight of whom are Brampton desis, have been arrested as police have smashed an international drug trafficking racket.
Ravi Shanker, 56, Gurinder Bedi, 52, Bhupinder Raja, 64, Azadali Damani, 63, Darshan Bedi, 71, Satnarine Ori, 35, Sukhveer Brar, 28, Gurpreet Dhillon, 39, Dilbag Aujla, 70, and Karan Ghuman, 44, have been arrested following an eight-month-long investigations by Peel Regional Police in collaboration with many regional police forces, RCMP, CBSA and US agencies.
Barring Azadali Damani, who is from Kitchener, and Darshan Bedi, who is from Woodstock, the remaining eight are Brampton Indo-Canadians.
Police seized from these men:
- 2.6 kilograms of Opium with a street value of $65,000,
- 1.4 kilograms of Heroin with a street value of $140,000,
- 17 grams of Methamphetamine with a street value of $1,700,
- One kilogram of marijuana with a street value of $4,500,
- $4.5 million of stolen tractor trailer cargo
- $50,000 in Canadian currency.
In all, the 10 men face as many as 80 charges related to drug trafficking, trafficking in stolen goods, and fraud.
Police investigation, which began in the fall of 2017, initially focused on suspects involved in drug trafficking and importation, the trafficking of stolen property and fraud in the Region of Peel.
But their investigation found the criminal activity of these men covered the GTA and south-western Ontario and extended to the US and Pakistan.
Peel Police worked with the following agencies to crack the International smuggling gang:
- Waterloo Regional Police Service
- Halton Regional Police Service
- York Regional Police Service
- Toronto Police Service
- Woodstock Police Service
- RCMP
- Ontario Provincial Police Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit
- Hamilton Police Service
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
- Insurance Bureau of Canada
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
