US authorities charged 37 people and arrested 24 of them across North America and Europe in what they described as a sweeping crackdown on three India-based organised crime networks involved in murder-for-hire plots, kidnappings, extortion, and drug trafficking.The charges, unsealed in three federal indictments on Tuesday, stem from a multi-year investigation called Operation Hard Ball and involving US, Canadian and international law enforcement agencies.Among the suspects charged are Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, and Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, 32, who US prosecutors accuse of ordering the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.Nijjar, 45, was shot dead by a pair of masked gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, in June 2023. He was a vocal advocate for the creation of Khalistan – an independent homeland for the Sikh minority in India’s northwest – and his murder triggered a major diplomatic dispute after Canada alleged Indian government involvement. India denied any involvement in the assassination. “Transnational criminal gangs who spread fear, drugs, and violence will face the full force of justice and the weight of the federal government,” assistant US attorney Bill Essayli said. “There is no safe harbour for these thugs.”Bishnoi is lodged in an Indian prison while Brar remains at large. Prosecutors alleged that Bishnoi gave one of the shooters a photograph of Nijjar and addresses linked to him.They said the criminal organisations engaged in “widespread violence, including targeted killings, extortions and kidnappings” while trafficking large quantities of “cocaine and methamphetamine” across North America.Authorities said they executed 42 search warrants in southern and eastern California and seized around 1,000kg of cocaine, 1kg of heroin, about $40,000 in cash and a dozen firearms.Assistant US attorney Bill Essayli speaks as American and Canadian law enforcement officials announce federal charges and arrests of alleged members of a transnational organised crime group in Los Angeles on 7 July 2026 (Reuters)A separate indictment alleged a drug-trafficking operation led by Canadian national Ravinder Singh Dhanda. Prosecutors accused him of moving hundreds of kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine from the US into Canada using commercial transport trucks. They indicated that three Canadian suspects arrested in British Columbia would face extradition proceedings.Canadian officials described the operation as a significant blow to transnational organised crime. The justice minister called it an “extraordinary day” full of “remarkable opportunity” to reduce harm from organised crime in Canadian communities. “The size of these crimes cannot be overstated,” Sean Fraser said. Mr Essayli said “law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organisations wherever they operate”.The World Sikh Organization of Canada welcomed the “enforcement action” but said it was “concerned that significant questions remain unanswered regarding the role of agents of the government of India”.Canada claimed in 2023 that there was evidence linking the Indian government to Nijjar’s murder, but India strongly rejected the allegation. The row cratered bilateral ties, with the two sides expelling each other’s diplomats.Following the latest arrests, Sikh groups renewed calls for the Canadian government to be more transparent in addressing the suspected role of foreign state actors. “The public has a legitimate interest in understanding whether investigators have identified links to foreign state actors and what institutional measures are being taken to dismantle those networks,” the Sikh Federation, based in Toronto, said.