Punjabi-origin man faces life in prison if convicted of leading global drug syndicate

A 42-year-old Punjabi-origin man based in Sydney has been accused of masterminding a sophisticated international drug and tobacco trafficking syndicate.

The operation spanned several continents, including places like Panama to Canada and Australia, and utilised legitimate freight channels to smuggle illicit cargo into Australia.

Gurvindar Singh is at the centre of a two-year investigation by Australia's Multi Agency Strike Team (MAST), which includes the NSW Police, Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force, NSW Crime Commission, AUSTRAC, the ATO, and other agencies.

He faces multiple charges, including five counts of importing commercial quantities of controlled drugs and illegal tobacco, as well as offences related to proceeds of crime and directing a criminal group.

If convicted, Singh faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Authorities allege that Singh orchestrated the import of 50 kg of cocaine hidden in cement bags from Panama, 280 kg of liquid methamphetamine shipped from Canada, and over 20 million illicit cigarettes brought into the country from the United Arab Emirates using a freight company based in Punchbowl, a suburb in southwestern Sydney.

The first major breakthrough came in August 2024, when investigators intercepted a liquid methamphetamine consignment arriving from Vancouver. Surveillance teams tracked it from port storage to a covert cooling and extraction site in Riverstone, Sydney's northwest, leading to the arrest of two men. This eventually led them to identify Singh as the suspected ringleader.

More evidence emerged in January 2025 when customs officials flagged irregularities in a container from the UAE. Three separate consignments of illegal cigarettes had already been imported through the Punchbowl freight firm allegedly linked to Singh's network. Police estimate that the illicit cigarette sales alone netted him at least AUD 443,000.

Last month, investigators executed a series of early-morning raids involving over 150 officers across properties in Wetherill Park, Punchbowl, and nearby suburbs. Singh was arrested outside a private residence near a police van, moments after stepping out of a vehicle.

Two Canadian nationals of Indian origin, 24-year-old Aman Kang and 31-year-old Mani Singh Dhaliwal, were also arrested. The police allege they were recruited by Singh to recover and distribute the cocaine shipment. Both men were denied bail and charged with possessing commercial quantities of drugs and participating in a criminal group. A seventh suspect was intercepted at the Sydney airport while trying to board an international flight.

Singh allegedly relied on encrypted messaging apps, port insiders, and shell companies to facilitate his operations. In one intercepted conversation, Singh was allegedly heard exclaiming "It's fake" when he realised the police had swapped out the 50 kg of cocaine with an inert substance prior to a handover.

At a press conference following the arrests, AFP Detective Superintendent Peter Fogarty said the syndicate exploited access to legitimate logistics and transport firms to subvert border controls. "This was not a small-scale operation," Fogarty said. "This was an enterprise worth tens of millions of dollars, spanning multiple continents."

Apart from the large quantities of contraband recovered, vehicles, digital devices, cash, and financial records believed to be linked to money laundering were seized. Financial crime investigators are now probing the movement of funds through what they describe as a web of shell companies.

At Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday, Singh's lawyer, Ahmed Dib, requested bail, citing the accused's poor health, family responsibilities, and his willingness to offer his home as surety. However, Magistrate Josephine Carling denied the request, stating that the serious nature of the charges and Singh's international links posed a significant flight risk. "Given the volume of illegal tobacco and narcotics purportedly imported, the risk to community safety is substantial," she observed.

Singh and his co-accused are scheduled to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on July 31, where they are expected to be formally arraigned.

The case has triggered renewed political debate in Australia around tobacco excise policy. NSW Premier Chris Minns cited the operation as evidence that the country's high tobacco taxes are fuelling a booming black market, calling on the federal government to re-evaluate the excise regime.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman, however, argued that the solution lies in better enforcement, not lowering taxes.

Investigators have warned that additional arrests may follow as they analyse financial trails and digital evidence recovered during the raids. They say the crackdown has dealt a serious blow to transnational criminal networks operating in Australia and are hopeful it will lead to more robust anti-smuggling enforcement measures.