Federal, state, and international law enforcement agencies have dismantled a significant segment of the India-based Bishnoi organized crime syndicate, arresting at least 37 alleged members in the United States, Canada, and Europe in coordinated raids conducted on Tuesday. The multi-agency operation, known as “Operation Hard Ball,” targeted various criminal activities tied to the gang, including murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and racketeering.
Los Angeles federal authorities led the effort, executing more than 50 raids across multiple jurisdictions, including California, Indiana, Georgia, Canada, and Spain. In California alone, 23 search warrants were carried out in the Sacramento area and 11 in the Los Angeles area. Law enforcement officials seized over 2,200 pounds of cocaine and heroin, approximately $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms during the operation. Despite the large number of arrests, authorities are still pursuing at least seven fugitives in the U.S., two in India, and one in Europe.
The Bishnoi gang is led by Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, who reportedly continues to direct the organization from prison in India. Court documents allege that Bishnoi delegates operational control to lieutenants who orchestrate violent acts including targeted killings, shootings, kidnappings, assaults, extortion, and drug trafficking across North America and India.
Among the most notable allegations is the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh political and religious leader killed outside a temple in British Columbia, Canada. Bishnoi is accused of ordering the killing, which exemplifies the gang’s pattern of targeting prominent figures to instill fear and enforce control within affected communities.
The investigations also exposed the gang’s involvement in widespread extortion schemes, including demands for multi-million-dollar payments from wealthy individuals. One incident cited involves a Thousand Oaks resident allegedly pressured for $5 million. Prosecutors further revealed that the Bishnoi gang financed its operations through international drug trafficking, frequently smuggling cocaine shipments across the U.S.-Canada border in commercial trucks. Rival gang factions, such as the Bhagwanpuria gang—led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, another imprisoned Indian criminal—were also targeted in the crackdown.
Authorities emphasized that the criminal organizations preyed particularly on lower-income members of the Indian diaspora, coercing some into criminal activities or extorting them. In one highlighted instance, a police chief in India was said to have threatened a Los Angeles family, demanding $400,000 to prevent false murder charges against a relative abroad.
Law enforcement agencies involved included the FBI, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, working in close coordination. Officials described the accused as engaging in some of the most violent and barbaric criminal conduct seen in recent years, spanning multiple countries and impacting various communities.
The ongoing investigation seeks to apprehend the remaining fugitives and further dismantle the transnational networks under the Bishnoi banner, while legal proceedings move forward against those already in custody.