Punjabi truckers’ guilty plea fuels debate on Indo-Canadians’ involvement in drug trade

The recent guilty pleas of two Ontario-based Punjabi truckers, Iqbal Singh Virk and Ranjit Singh Rowal, in the multi-million-dollar Ryan Wedding drug case have reignited discussions about the role of Indian-origin individuals in Canada’s drug trade and organised crime.

Iqbal Singh Virk and Ranjit Singh Rowal were key operatives in Ryan Wedding’s transnational drug trafficking network, smuggling cocaine and heroin — valued at nearly $25 million — from California to Canada using hidden compartments in their trucks. They were arrested in August last with 95 kg of cocaine and 20 kg of heroin.  Last week they agreed to plead guilty to US federal charges carrying potential life sentences.

According to reports, Virk and Rowal, both Indian citizens with permanent resident status in Canada, were part of a transportation racket involved in smuggling large quantities of cocaine from Southern California to Canada for a drug cartel led by former Canadian Olympian snowboarder Ryan Wedding. The network is accused of trafficking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and the US to Canada.

Virk and Rowal were arrested on August 29 last year, when they were attempting to cross into Canada at the international crossing between Michigan and Ontario at Blue Water Bridge. A secondary inspection of their trucks by the US border agents revealed a non-factory hidden compartment containing 115 bricks of suspected narcotics, including 95 kg of cocaine and 20 kg of heroin. The duo was charged in the US with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and other related offences, as outlined in a 16-count superseding indictment unsealed in October 2024.

Last week, they both agreed to plead guilty and detailed their involvement in the smuggling operation in their plea agreements. Though Canada’s drug trade thrives on transnational networks and systemic vulnerabilities that go far beyond any single community, Virk and Rowal’s involvement highlights the growing involvement of Indians in Canada’s organised crime.

Their guilty pleas come at a time when the alleged involvement of Canadian drug dealers in Punjab’s drug trade is a hot topic of discussion in India, following the arrest of former Minister and Akali strongman Bikram Singh Majithia by the AAP government. Though Majithia has been arrested on charges of possessing disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 540 crore, it is being alleged that this money was earned through drug-related money laundering. Majithia has been facing drug smuggling allegations since drug lord Jagdish Bhola named him in 2014; Punjab Vigilance department claims to have uncovered evidence of drug money laundering.

While Bhola had publicly accused Majithia of being the “kingpin” of the Rs 6,000-crore drug racket, in his statements to the ED and Punjab Police, he had specifically named three Canada-based individuals — Satpreet Singh Thiara (alias Satta), Parminder Singh (alias Pindi), and Amrinder Singh (alias Laddi) — as key operatives in the drug trafficking network, connecting Punjab’s synthetic drug trade to Canada.

According to reports, the involvement of South Asian and Punjabi-origin immigrants in Canada’s drug trade is well documented in several high-profile cases. While arrests in Canada do not specify the ethnicity of the suspects, a count based on some of the high-profile bust cases reported in the media reveals that about 50-60 individuals of Punjabi and Indian descent have been arrested in the last five years in major drug-related cases.

Recent arrests and cases

Project Pelican: After a year-long investigation, in June 2025, a joint operation involving Peel Police, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) busted the largest ever drug operation with the arrest of nine individuals, including seven of Indian origin. They were arrested in Ontario for smuggling 479 kg of cocaine, valued at approximately CAD $50 million (US $48 million) into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) from the US. The network reportedly used commercial trucking routes and had links to anti-India activities.

Project Sledgehammer: In July-September 2024, Peel, Waterloo and York Police, along with RCMP, conducted an investigation targeting drug and arms smuggling in the GTA. The operation began with the recovery of a firearm from a 20-year-old man in July 2024 and led to the arrest of five individuals of Punjabi origin, including a woman and her two sons. Besides sophisticated automated weapons, 200 grams of cocaine, 20 grams of opium, 80 oxycodone pills and 100 other pills were seized from them.

Operation Dead Hand: In February 2024, a joint operation of the FBI and RCMP led to the arrest of three Indian-origin Canadians for their roles in trafficking cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin. The network used long-haul truck drivers to transport drugs from Mexico through Los Angeles to Canada.  The suspects were identified as Ayush Sharma (25, Brampton), Guramrit Sidhu (60, Brampton) and Subham Kumar (29, Calgary). About 845 kg of methamphetamine, 951 kg of cocaine, 20 kg of fentanyl, 4 kg of heroin and over $900,000 in cash were seized. The estimated wholesale value of the narcotics was $16-28 million.

Falkland Superlab bust: In November 2024, RCMP dismantled Canada’s largest and most sophisticated fentanyl and methamphetamine “superlab” in Falkland, British Columbia. Gaganpreet Randhawa, was identified as the main suspect and charged with multiple drug and firearm-related offences. Seizures during the bust included over 95.5 million potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, 5,000 litres of unregulated precursor chemicals, and over 10 tons of chemicals. The estimated profit loss to the crime group was $485 million.

Project Zucaritas: In October 2022, an 11-month investigation by Peel Regional Police and US agencies identified two drug transfer hubs (North King Logistics in Milton and Friend Furniture in Mississauga) used to distribute drugs from the US. The investigations led to the arrest of five people, including three of Punjabi origin, of ketamine, with a street value of $25 million.

Project Cheetah: In April 2021, a year-long investigation by York Regional Police, RCMP, Peel Regional Police, and the DEA, busted a transnational drug trafficking network operating in the GTA, with connections to California and India. Of the 30 individuals arrested in the case, 23 were of Punjabi origin, mostly Indo-Canadians. The seizures included 10 kg of cocaine, 8 kg of ketamine, 3 kg of heroin, 2.5 kg of opium (valued at $2.3 million), 48 firearms and $730,000 in Canadian currency.

Ontario Drug Syndicate: In September 2018, Peel Police arrested 10 individuals, including six of Punjabi origin, in connection with an international drug syndicate involving synthetic drugs, stolen property and fraud. The case had connections to the US and Pakistan, and was linked to earlier Punjab Police claims of busting a Canada-controlled drug syndicate. The seizures included 4.75 kg of ketamine, 6 kg of opium and other assets.

The alleged increasing involvement of Indians in the drug trade and the recent rise in extortion cases among South Asians (highlighted in these columns last week) in Canada by gangs operating from India has led to an increased anti-immigrant sentiment on social media, with some calling for “mass deportations” of Punjabis. Recent posts on X and the web indicate a rise in anti-South Asian sentiment in Canada, often linking drug trafficking and crime to them.

These posts are in fact part of a broader surge in online hate, with a 2025 report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue noting over 26,600 posts containing anti-South Asian slurs between May 2023 and April 2025. Many posts falsely attribute rising crime rates to Punjabi immigrants, despite no evidence at all that immigrants commit higher offences than native-born Canadians.

Stereotyping not only fuels division but also distracts from addressing the root causes — such as gaps in law enforcement coordination, socioeconomic factors and the sophisticated nature of transnational crime networks. A nuanced approach is vital: one that holds individuals accountable without casting shadows over entire communities.

As the Indian community confronts these challenges, law enforcement agencies must ensure that the focus remains on dismantling criminal networks rather than perpetuating harmful biases. Justice demands nothing less.