Federal authorities have dismantled a transnational criminal network that allegedly used California as a central hub for its operations, including extortion, contract killings, and the trafficking of drugs and firearms. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Hard Ball,” resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals accused of being members of or affiliated with India-based gangs.
Los Angeles' top federal prosecutor, Bill Essayli, described the groups as highly powerful, generating millions in illegal profits. These organizations are accused of engaging in widespread violence, including targeted killings, extortion, and kidnappings, and flooding communities with significant quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Court documents reveal the extensive reach of these Indian organized crime syndicates, with leaders allegedly directing criminal activities from within Indian prisons. The Bishnoi gang, founded by Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in India, is accused of using encrypted messaging services to manage drug shipments across California and extort victims in the Los Angeles area and Thousand Oaks. According to court filings, Bishnoi allegedly used contraband cell phones to direct political assassinations, murders, shootings, extortions, kidnappings, drug trafficking, and human smuggling.
In one instance, the Bishnoi gang is accused of stealing approximately 1,150 pounds of cocaine from rival drug operations in the greater Los Angeles area between March 2024 and July 2025. A lieutenant in the Bishnoi gang, Rajan Bhatti, is alleged to have threatened an undercover federal officer posing as a wealthy expatriate with harm to his family if a $200,000 extortion payment was not made.
Members of another group, the Bhagwanpuria gang, led by Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, also imprisoned in India, are accused of exploiting their connections to extort victims. Gurlal Singh, a member of the Bhagwanpuria gang, is alleged to have conspired with a corrupt official in India’s Punjab state to falsely accuse victims of murder and then extort them over the fabricated charges. Another Bhagwanpuria gang member, Gurdev Singh, is alleged to have attempted to extort a family while in ICE custody, using smuggled devices to issue threats.
Prosecutors also charged Ravinder Singh Dhanda, a resident of British Columbia, with smuggling hundreds of pounds of cocaine and methamphetamine weekly from the U.S. into Canada. His gang allegedly used semi-trucks and farming trucks to transport drugs from various California cities, including Los Angeles, West Covina, Ontario, Fontana, and Perris, to the U.S.-Canada border.
During the coordinated takedown, law enforcement agencies executed search warrants across California, including in Los Angeles, Fresno, Sacramento, Stockton, and San Jose. Raids also occurred in Indiana and Georgia in the U.S., as well as in Canada and Spain.
As part of the investigation, authorities seized over 2,200 pounds of cocaine and heroin, $40,000 in cash, and a dozen firearms. Seven fugitives remain at large in the U.S., with additional fugitives being sought in India and Europe.