Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police have arrested Shehnaz Singh, also known as Shawn Bhinder, an Indian-origin international drug lord wanted by the US-based intelligence and security agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Monday.
The accused is a resident of Mandiala village in the Batala district and had been residing in Brampton in Canada. He was wanted by the FBI in one of the largest drug seizures in the US on February 26. The FBI had arrested six of his associates in the US and seized 391 kg methamphetamine, 109 kg cocaine, four sophisticated weapons and vehicles from their possession.
The six accused previously arrested by the FBI have been identified as Amritpal Singh alias Amrit, his namesake alias Cheema, Taqdeer Singh, Sarabjit Singh Saabi, Fernando Valladares alias Franco, and Gurlal Singh.
DGP Yadav said the accused, Shawn Bhinder, was a key player in a global narcotics syndicate, smuggling cocaine from Colombia into the US and Canada.
After the crackdown by the FBI, the accused Shawn Bhinder managed to give a slip to the FBI sleuths and clandestinely landed in India, the DGP said, adding that the Punjab Police have successfully tracked and arrested him from the jurisdiction of Ludhiana.
The DGP said the accused was also wanted in an Arms Act case registered in December 2024, wherein Tarn Taran Police had arrested five members of the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Amritpal Batth gangs, leading to the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ferozepur Range) Swapan Sharma, accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police (Tarn Taran) Abhimanyu Rana, said preliminary investigations reveal that the accused, Shawn Bhinder, played a key role in transporting large consignments of drugs across international borders using trucks and trailers.
He said it was found during interrogation that Bhinder, operating under the guise of a legitimate transportation business in Canada since 2014, allegedly facilitated the movement of drugs from Colombia to the US and Canada via Mexico.
The probe has also revealed that Bhinder, along with his accomplices, were transporting approximately 600 kg of cocaine from Colombia every week, he added.
SSP Abhimanyu Rana said that the arrested accused’s network is believed to have ties with notorious drug traffickers, including Amritpal Singh, alias Baath, and Gurjant Singh Bholu Havelia.
(IANS)
