In a major breakthrough amid the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Tarn Taran Police 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), said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.

The arrested accused, Shawn Bhinder, a native of village Mandiala in Batala who was residing in Brampton in Canada, was wanted by the FBI in one of the largest drug seizures in the US on February 26, 2025, wherein, 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.

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The six accused, previously arrested by the FBI, have been identified as Amritpal Singh alias Amrit alias Bal, Amritpal Singh alias Cheema, Taqdeer Singh alias Romi, Sarabjit Singh Saabi, Fernando Valladares alias Franco and Gurlal Singh.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said Shawn Bhinder was the key player in a global narcotics syndicate, smuggling cocaine from Colombia into the USA and Canada. After the crackdown, he managed to give a slip to the FBI sleuths and clandestinely landed in India, he said, adding that the Punjab Police successfully tracked and arrested him from the jurisdiction of Ludhiana.

The DGP said that the arrested 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 Gang leading to recovery of significant cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ferozepur Range Swapan Sharma accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tarn Taran Abhimanyu Rana, while addressing a press conference in Tarn Taran, said that preliminary investigations revealed that the accused 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 Shawn 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 he, along with his accomplices, were transporting approximately 600 kgs 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. Further investigations are on, he added.

Meanwhile, over the past four months, the Tarn Taran Police have registered 125 cases under the NDPS Act, arresting 145 individuals and recovering 34 kg heroin, 4 kg opium and Rs 2.29 lakh drug money. Additionally, 29 proclaimed offenders in the cases of NDPS Act have been apprehended during this period.