Punjab Police arrest international drug lord wanted by FBI

Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police arrested Shehnaz Singh, also known as Shawn Bhinder, an Indian-origin international drug lord sought by the FBI. Bhinder, a resident of Mandiala village in Batala district, had been living in Brampton, Canada.

He was wanted for his involvement in one of the largest drug seizures in the US on February 26, where the FBI arrested six of his associates and seized 391kg of methamphetamine, 109 kg of cocaine, weapons, and vehicles.

Bhinder, a key player in a global narcotics syndicate, was implicated in smuggling cocaine from Colombia into the US and Canada. After the FBI crackdown, Bhinder managed to evade capture and secretly entered India, where Punjab Police tracked him down and arrested him in Ludhiana.

In addition to his FBI charges, Bhinder was also wanted in a December 2024 Arms Act case linked to the notorious Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Amritpal Batth gangs. Preliminary investigations suggest that Bhinder facilitated the transportation of large quantities of drugs using trucks and trailers, operating under the guise of a legitimate transportation business in Canada.

It was revealed that Bhinder’s network was responsible for smuggling approximately 600 kg of cocaine every week from Colombia to the US and Canada. His connections to prominent drug traffickers, including Amritpal Singh (Baath) and Gurjant Singh Bholu Havelia, are also under investigation.