Punjab Police : In a significant breakthrough under the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Tarn Taran police have arrested Indian-origin international drug lord Shehnaz Singh, alias Shawn Bhinder, who was wanted by the USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav on Monday.
Shawn Bhinder, a native of Mandiala village in Batala and a resident of Brampton, Canada, was wanted in connection with one of the largest drug busts in the United States on February 26, 2025. During the operation, the FBI arrested six of his associates and seized 391 kg of methamphetamine, 109 kg of cocaine, four sophisticated weapons, and multiple vehicles. The arrested individuals were identified as Amritpal Singh alias Amrit alias Bal, Amritpal Singh alias Cheema, Taqdeer Singh alias Romi, Sarabjit Singh alias Saabi, Fernando Valladares alias Franco, and Gurlal Singh.
According to DGP Gaurav Yadav, Bhinder was a key figure in a global narcotics syndicate, involved in smuggling cocaine from Colombia into the USA and Canada. Following the FBI’s crackdown, he managed to evade capture and secretly fled to India, where the Punjab Police successfully tracked and arrested him in Ludhiana.
The arrested drug kingpin was also wanted in an Arms Act case registered in December 2024. In that case, the Tarn Taran police had arrested five members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Amritpal Batth gangs, recovering a significant cache of arms and ammunition.
During a press conference, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Ferozepur Range, Swapan Sharma, and Tarn Taran SSP Abhimanyu Rana revealed that Bhinder played a crucial role in trafficking large quantities of drugs across international borders using trucks and trailers.
Interrogation has uncovered that since 2014, he had been running a transportation business in Canada, which he allegedly used as a front to smuggle drugs from Colombia to the US and Canada via Mexico. Investigations suggest that Bhinder and his associates were trafficking approximately 600 kg of cocaine from Colombia every week.
SSP Abhimanyu Rana further stated that Bhinder’s network is believed to have links with notorious drug traffickers, including Amritpal Singh alias Baath and Gurjant Singh Bholu Havelia. Investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, in the last four months, Tarn Taran police have registered 125 cases under the NDPS Act, arresting 145 individuals and recovering 34 kg of heroin, 4 kg of opium, and ₹2.29 lakh in drug money. Additionally, 29 proclaimed offenders in NDPS Act cases have been apprehended during this period.