U.S. charges against Bishnoi welcomed, but more should be done in Canada

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“I’m not sure it’s going to be a deterrent. We’ll have to wait and see whether it is,” Heed said.

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Sturko noted that there was a new extortion-related shooting in Surrey the same day as the U.S. charges were announced.

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“I’m not going to deny that these indictments are definitely a positive investigative outcome, but clearly the fact that shootings are still happening shows that we actually continue to have a lot of work to do,” Sturko said.

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“Going after the kingpins of transnational crime, going after the kingpins of major drug trafficking organizations and extortion rings, is something that we, as a country, should be able to do, and to be leaders in, not necessarily just participants,” Sturko said.

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Abbotsford Police Chief Colin Watson said the “arrests and charges represent a significant step in disrupting transnational organized crime networks that have been linked to violence, intimidation, extortion, drug trafficking, and firearms offences affecting communities across British Columbia and Canada.”

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“Criminal organizations thrive on fear and their ability to operate across borders. For Abbotsford residents, this action, together with the actions taken and the provincial and local levels, enhances public safety by targeting organized crime groups at all levels of their infrastructure,” he said.

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Abbotsford had already had a significant drop in extortion cases in 2026, with just 14 non-violent extortion attempts in the first six months of the year. Of those, 10 were phone calls and four were letters.

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The Dhanda defendants allegedly “provided international smuggling services for bulk quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to drug trafficking organizations located in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere,” a U.S. indictment said.

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And they were aided by “an individual working for the Canada Border Services Agency,” the document said.

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The agency referred Postmedia to the RCMP for comment on the allegation against a staff member.

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Jessica Kingsbury, RCMP deputy director of media relations, said in a statement Wednesday that the RCMP would only confirm an investigation is underway if criminal charges are laid.

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“This is done to protect the integrity of an investigation, any evidence obtained, and the privacy of those involved,” she said, referring Postmedia back to the U.S. Justice Department.

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“We have confidence in the work of our domestic and international law enforcement partners. The RCMP continues to work closely with partners in Canada and abroad on national security matters, including through information sharing and coordinated investigative efforts.”

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Dhanda was arrested Tuesday at his South Surrey house in the 16300-block of 36A Avenue, assessed at $2.67 million.

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While Dhanda has no criminal record in B.C., he was charged in California in 2007 with conspiring to distribute cocaine. The earlier indictment said he allegedly brokered cocaine deals and co-ordinated with others to truck the drugs to Canada.

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But after years on the books, the charges against him were dismissed last year “without prejudice.”

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Another property searched by police Tuesday in connection with the U.S. investigation was in the 13500-block of 79 Avenue.

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