2 Indian drivers arrested in US with Rs 63 crore cocaine as Sikh groups fight it out over revocation of truckers' licences

Two Indian-origin truck drivers from California were arrested in the US after authorities discovered 309 pounds of cocaine, valued at approximately $7 million (aprox Rs 63 crore), hidden inside their semi-truck.

The arrests come amid an ongoing legal and political dispute over the issuance and revocation of commercial driver’s licences (CDLs) for immigrant truckers, particularly Sikhs, in California.

The men, identified as Gurpreet Singh, 25; and Jasveer Singh, 30; were arrested on January 3. Both hold California-issued commercial driver’s licences and are currently being held at the Putnam County Jail on bonds set at $1 million each. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed detainers on both men due to concerns regarding their immigration status.

According to police reports, Jasveer Singh initially told officers that he was transporting an empty tractor-trailer to a restaurant in Richmond to wait for a load. However, officers noticed several cardboard boxes covered with a blanket in the sleeper berth of the truck, which raised suspicion. A free-air K-9 sniff alerted officers to the presence of illegal drugs, and a subsequent search revealed the cocaine.

Authorities said the arrests align with prior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) records related to the men’s entry into the country and their legal status. Both men face preliminary charges of dealing in narcotics, classified as a Level 2 felony. Indiana Governor Mike Braun praised the Indiana State Police for the seizure, reiterating the state’s zero-tolerance approach towards drug trafficking.

The arrests come at a time of heightened scrutiny of truck driving programmes and licensing practices across the US. According to an AP report, nearly 44 per cent of the approximately 16,000 truck driving programmes nationwide could be forced to shut down following a federal Transportation Department review that found many may not be meeting minimum regulatory requirements.

In California, a group of immigrant truckers has filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, alleging violations of workers’ rights after officials moved to revoke commercial driver’s licences. State authorities said about 17,000 truckers were notified last month that their CDLs would be revoked because their licence expiration dates extended beyond the period during which they were legally permitted to remain in the US.

The action followed renewed pressure from the Trump administration, which has intensified enforcement against states issuing licences to immigrants. The federal government has threatened to withhold funding from California, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and New York over the issue.

The Sikh Coalition, along with the San Francisco-based Asian Law Caucus, has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of affected drivers. Advocacy groups say Sikh truckers have increasingly faced harassment and discrimination, particularly after recent fatal truck crashes in Florida and California involving Sikh drivers.