Joint US‑Canada operation underscores India’s critical role

The latest global report, dated July 18 in Brussels, highlights India’s pivotal contribution to a multi‑nation crackdown on organised crime. Operation Hard Ball, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on July 7, involved coordinated actions across the United States, Canada and several European states. The operation produced 24 arrests, more than 50 search warrants, three indictments and pursued 37 suspects. According to the study, Indian agencies provided indispensable intelligence, especially as many criminal cells examined were either based in India or had originally targeted Indian nationals. The report mentions Punjab gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his associate Goldy Barad—responsible for the 2022 killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala—and the syndicate linked to Jaggubhai Bhagwanpuria, which allegedly runs a network of over a thousand members worldwide using encrypted messaging and contraband phones inside prisons. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police publicly acknowledged India’s cooperation, and prosecutors expect continued coordination among law‑enforcement bodies in the U.S., Canada, Spain and India.