Project Pelican: Canada police busts drug racket financing anti-India activities, arrest nine
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The Peel Regional Police in Canada undertook Project Pelican to bust a large nacro-terror network based out of the country. Individuals suspected to be Khalistan sympethisers have been caught, ToI reported.The operation led to the largest ever drug seizure in Canada with 479 kg of cocaine valued at $47.9 million. Further, nine people, including seven Indian-origin men settled in Canada have been arrested.The investigation found that the network used commercial trucking routes from the US to Canada and had ties with Mexican cartels and US-based distributors, the Peel police said.The money from the drugs was being used to finance anti-India activities , including protests and referendums besides funding for weapons, sources told ToI.ToI reported that intelligence sources pointed towards an ISI-backed plan where Khalistani groups in Canada are being funded to traffic high value Mexican cocaine. The ISI has also been been accused of pushing Afghan-grown heroin.The arrested men include Sajgith Yogendrarajah, 31, of Toronto; Manpreet Singh, 44, of Brampton; Philip Tep, 39, of Hamilton; Arvinder Powar, 29, of Brampton; Karamjit Singh, 36, of Caledon; Gurtej Singh, 36, of Caledon; Sartaj Singh, 27, of Cambridge; Shiv Onkar Singh, 31, of Georgetown and Hao Tommy Huynh, a 27-year-old from Mississauga.The accused face a total of 35 charges related to firearm and drug offences, the Canadian police said.In December 2024, two Canadian nationals of Indian origin were arrested when US Illinois State Police found over 1,000 pounds of cocaine in their Volvo truck. This alerted the investigators to the smuggling ring involving ISI which promoted illegal poppy cultivation in Afghanistan to help Taliban fight the US and Afghan troops.Investigation under Operation Pelican began in June last year and focussed on a cocaine smuggling racket using US-Canada commercial trucking routes.By November, multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites linked to the operation were identified with the help of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.Between February and May this year, significant seizures were made, including 127 kg of cocaine at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and 50 kg at the Blue Water Bridge in Point Edward, the Peel police said in a statement.Additional seizures were made across the Greater Toronto area, with some individuals arrested in possession of loaded firearms."A total of 479 kg of bricked cocaine, worth an estimated $47.9 million, was seized, along with two illegal loaded semi-automatic handguns. The accused were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton," the Peel police said.Michael S Kerzner, solicitor general of Ontario, praised the operation, stating, "Project Pelican is proof of what police can accomplish when they have the tools and resources needed to keep our communities safe."
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