Authorities in France have apprehended a man from West Vancouver, identified in an American indictment as part of an extensive probe into global organized crime activities.
Garinder Deo was taken into custody on July 7 following the revelation by Los Angeles authorities of the disruption of three criminal networks linked to India. These syndicates were involved in illicit activities such as drug trafficking, extortions, and the targeted killing of B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to the RCMP, Deo is currently detained in France as he awaits extradition to the United States to face charges outlined in the FBI’s operation. The indictment accuses Deo of procuring cocaine and heroin intended for transportation from California to both Canada and the eastern U.S. on behalf of a criminal enterprise.
Meanwhile, three other individuals from British Columbia have already been arrested in connection to a separate criminal organization and are undergoing extradition proceedings in the B.C. Supreme Court.
In a recent development, the U.S. Justice Department disclosed that Lawrence Bishnoi, a notorious gangster incarcerated in India, alongside his alleged associate, have also been ensnared in the investigation. They stand accused of orchestrating the assassination of Nijjar in June 2023 outside a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C.