Investigations carried out under Project Pelican revealed that it is linked to a Khalistani project. A total of nine individuals have been found linked to this network and have been arrested. Out of which, seven are people of Indian origin living in Canada.
The Peel Police reported that the accused are held at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton and are awaiting a bail hearing. The police also informed that the gang was involved with Mexican drug cartels and distributors active in the United States. The group was operating through top US-Canada commercial trucking routes.
It has come to light that the money was used to fuel anti-India activities, which include protests, purchasing weapons, etc. Intelligence agencies suppose that this drug racket might be tied to Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence). ISI might have used Khalistani groups to smuggle cocaine and Afghan heroin.
Convicted Individuals
Nearly 500 kg of cocaine worth $47.9M was seized and 9 suspects arrested in Project Pelican, Peel Police’s largest-ever drug bust.
The accused — including Arvinder Powar, Gurtej Singh, Karamjit Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sartaj Singh, Shiv Onkar Singh, and Sarjit… pic.twitter.com/VxjUjEI4oc
— Ethan 🇨🇦 (@Ethan113554) June 11, 2025
The arrested individuals are Sajgith Yogendrarajah (31), Manpreet Singh (44), Philip Tep (39), Arvinder Powar (29), Karamjit Singh (36), Gurtej Singh (36), Sartaj Singh (27), Shiv Onkar Singh (31), and Hao Tommy Huynh (27). They have been charged with a total of 35 cases of drug and firearm offenses.
Project Pelican
The Peel Regional Police launched Project Pelican in 2024 to probe into drug smuggling networks operating through the commercial trucking route between Canada and the US.
With the help of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security’s Border Enforcement Task Force in Detroit, the administrative authorities uncovered these individuals. They also busted trucking companies linked to this network.
Illinois State Police detained two Canadian Nationals of Indian Origin back in December who were caught smuggling over 1000 pounds of cocaine. This prompted them to consider that they might be backed by Pakistan’s ISI.
Pakistan’s ISI has been linked to supporting illegal opium cultivation in Afghanistan. Reports suggest that revenue generated from these contrabands powers the Taliban to continue their long-standing atrocities against US and Afghan troops.
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