Pro-Khalistani gangster nabbed in global drug bust; ISI, China links emerge

India Today

17-07-2025

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has uncovered an international drug cartel with alleged ties linking Pakistan's ISI, China, and Canada, and arrested an Indo-Canadian gangster, Opinder Singh Sian, also known as Thanos. Sian, who was arrested in June, was allegedly operating a global fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking network from Canada's British Columbia.Details of the case have been outlined in a 29-page affidavit submitted by the DEA. The agency's investigation spanned Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Turkey.The law enforcement had been investigating Sian since 2021-22. Then he was a known senior member of the ISI-backed 'Brothers Keepers' gang, which largely comprises foot soldiers from Punjab, many of whom hold Canadian citizenship.The gang has openly supported the Khalistani movement and, according to sources, has been visibly active in rallies commemorating terrorists such as Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind behind the Air India bombing.After surviving at least two assassination attempts, Sian made his ascent into Canada's criminal underworld, one in 2008 that left him injured but killed his aide Gurpreet Sidh, and another in May 2011, which he also survived.WHAT DOES THE NEW WARRANT REVEAL?A newly released arrest warrant naming Sian, which has not yet been tested in court, outlines the alleged international connections of the British Columbia-based drug trafficker.The warrant was issued by a California district court for Sian's arrest and alleges that he had links to organised crime groups in Canada, China, Turkey, Mexico, and Ireland, including the Kinahan cartel, which has reported connections to the terrorist group Hezbollah, according to a report in the Canadian tabloid, Toronto Sun.Sian, a Canadian citizen residing in Canada's Surrey, was taken into custody last month in US' Nevada.Authorities allege he was attempting to ship methamphetamine from the US to Australia through the Port of Long Beach, near Los Angeles.The affidavit, sworn by DEA agent Albert Polito, points to these Canadian traffickers who are at the centre of the nation's problems with fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which are trafficked into the US and beyond.The warrant includes several serious allegations about how drugs were being moved and deals negotiated.According to the affidavit, methamphetamine sourced from Montreal contacts was traded in Los Angeles, aiming for further shipments to Australia.There were requests for bulk cocaine purchases in Los Angeles to be distributed in Vancouver. The affidavit also states promises of large shipments of fentanyl precursor chemicals from China into the Port of Vancouver, which would then be sent to Los Angeles using a Canadian trucking company.Canada, much like the US, had for years borne the brunt of illegal fentanyl and other synthetic drugs being imported from China. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised the issue with Beijing, calling on China to crack down on the production and export of these substances and their ingredients.TORONTO TO HONKONG, TURKEY: DRUG CARTEL EXPOSEDToronto is also named as a key node in the operation which Sian was a part of.One individual allegedly managed hundreds of pounds of meth shipments through multiple ports while reporting to handlers in Hong Kong and collaborating with members of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel.The entire investigation reportedly began when the DEA's field office in Turkey's capital, Ankara, received a tip about the opportunity to insert a confidential source into an international drug-trafficking network.That lead eventually brought the agency to Sian and a sprawling operation that, according to the DEA, extended across at least four continents and eight countries.Sian is alleged to be a central figure in this network. In August 2023, he took the DEA's confidential source, referred to as Queen, out to lunch with his family. Queen, by then, had gained Sina's confidence.Afterward, they met at a cafe with Peter Peng Zhou, who allegedly told Queen that he could provide the precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl."Zhou said that he would be getting the precursors from China in Vancouver and sending them to Los Angeles, via his trucking company," the affidavit states, further claiming that Zhou promised a shipment of 100 kilograms per month.Canada-based media portal, Postmedia, reported that other suspects from British Columbia named in the case have not yet been formally charged.Sian and his associates allegedly discussed several options for providing the precursor chemicals, either by moving them through Canada or shipping them directly to the Port of Long Beach in the US.The affidavit includes references to attempts to ship fentanyl chemicals and methods aimed at evading detection.If the charges and allegations laid out in the affidavit are proven in court, they support growing concerns raised by US officials about the role of Canadian traffickers in the fentanyl trade.- Ends
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