The United States has launched a massive crackdown called Operation Hard ball against the Bishnoi gang and other Indian organised crime networks. Federal prosecutors announced the operation on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, unsealing indictments against 37 people across the US, Canada and Europe.
The US Department of Justice, the FBI, Canada’s RCMP and several European agencies worked together on this multi-year investigation. Their target was clear. They wanted to dismantle transnational crime networks allegedly linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates.
What Did Officials Say About Operation Hard Ball?
First Assistant US Attorney Bilal A. Essayli addressed reporters at a press conference in Los Angeles. He spoke about the scale of the operation and its goals.
Essayli also spoke about Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, another jailed gang leader named in the indictments. He sounded confident that Bhagwanpuria would soon face American justice too. “He’ll be coming to our jails here soon, hopefully in the next few weeks,” Essayli said.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland also addressed the media. She confirmed that Indian authorities had cooperated with investigators during the probe. “What I can say to you is in this investigation, as you noted from our US partners, that the Indian government was cooperating in this investigation. We work shoulder and shoulder with the FBI and other agencies to address this,” she said.
Moreland explained why the US wants to move fast. She said dismantling the top two tiers of the Bishnoi gang’s leadership would be significant. It would help protect public safety in Canada and beyond.
How Does the Bishnoi Gang Operate From Jail?
This is perhaps the most startling part of the story. Lawrence Bishnoi has been in Indian custody for years. Yet investigators allege he continued running a global criminal enterprise from behind bars.
The indictment claims Bishnoi and his North American lieutenant Satinderjeet Singh, known widely as Goldy Brar, directed murders, extortion rackets and drug trafficking operations. These operations allegedly spanned three continents. All of this happened, prosecutors say, while Bishnoi remained locked inside an Indian prison cell.
Investigators say smuggled communication devices made this possible. Jailed leaders reportedly used these devices to issue orders and coordinate with members outside prison walls.
The scale of the crackdown is significant. Charges have been filed against 37 defendants across three separate indictments. These target syndicates led by Bishnoi, Ravinder Singh Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Twenty four people have already been arrested across the United States, Canada and Europe. Several others remain at large.
Authorities carried out raids at more than 50 locations. They seized around 1,000 kilograms of narcotics, including cocaine and heroin. Officers also recovered firearms and large amounts of cash during these raids.
Why Does This Matter for India?
The Bishnoi gang case carries deep significance for Indian audiences. Bishnoi is already facing multiple criminal cases within India. His name has been linked to several high profile killings and extortion attempts over the years.
Now, the United States wants to seek his extradition too. This raises an important question for Indian legal experts. Can India extradite a man who is already facing serious charges domestically?
The case also touches Punjab directly. Investigators say the Bhagwanpuria syndicate relied on corrupt officials in India to run its schemes. This detail has already triggered concern about institutional integrity within Indian law enforcement.
There is also a diplomatic angle that Indian readers cannot ignore. The indictment formally links Bishnoi and Goldy Brar to the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was a Sikh separatist leader shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. This incident had already caused a major rift between India and Canada. India has consistently denied any state involvement in that killing. The fresh US indictment could reignite this diplomatic tension between the two countries.
Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence’s brother, adds another layer to the story. He remains wanted in India for his alleged role in the murder of Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique. Mumbai Police have separately pursued extradition proceedings against him after he was tracked down in the United States. It remains to be seen whether the new indictments speed up this parallel process.
What Is the Background of This Investigation?
Operation Hard ball did not happen overnight. It is the product of years of intelligence collection in several countries. Investigators traced the activities of the Bishnoi gang back to at least March 2024.
From March 2024 to July 2025, the network allegedly stole some 520 kilograms of cocaine from rival trafficking organizations in the Los Angeles area. Law enforcement intercepted a shipment of nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine and heroin associated with the Bhagwanpuria network in June 2025.
Things got worse in September 2025. The Canadian government officially designated the Bishnoi enterprise as a terrorist entity. This was a major step that placed the group in the same category as other serious extremist organisations.
Between December 2025 and January 2026, investigators say Bishnoi, Brar and another associate named Godara attempted to extort five million dollars from a victim in Thousand Oaks, California. By April 2026, a Bhagwanpuria syndicate member allegedly threatened another victim in California. He is accused of feeding false information to a corrupt Indian official to instigate fabricated murder charges.
Grand juries eventually returned three separate federal indictments between June 23 and July 1, 2026. These target the Dhanda, Bhagwanpuria and Bishnoi organisations respectively. The Los Angeles press conference on July 7 brought all these threads together under the name Operation Hard ball.
What Happens Next?
The immediate next step is the formal extradition process. The US government has said it will move forward with seeking the extradition of Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria from India. This process is likely to take time.
Diplomatic sensitivities could slow things down further. There is also the unresolved question, repeatedly raised by Canadian officials, about whether elements within the Indian state had any hand in violence attributed to the Bishnoi network. India has rejected such suggestions in the past.
Meanwhile, the FBI has issued a reward of up to 50,000 dollars for information leading to the arrest of Goldy Brar, who remains at large. Officials say security protocols within the Federal Bureau of Prisons will strictly monitor communications if Bishnoi or Bhagwanpuria are eventually moved to American custody. This is meant to prevent them from continuing to run their operations from behind bars, something they are accused of doing in India.
For now, the Bishnoi gang saga continues to unfold across three continents. Indian authorities are yet to issue a detailed public response to the extradition request. India’s decision on the issue could set an important precedent for how the country deals with future cases involving its own citizens facing serious charges abroad, legal experts say.