Punjab Police arrests FBI-wanted international drug trafficker in Tarn Taran

In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police have arrested an international drug trafficker who was on the United States federal agency Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most wanted list.

According to the police, the accused drug dealer, identified as Shehnaz Singh alias Shawn Bhinder, was a key player in a global narcotics syndicate. He was allegedly involved in smuggling cocaine from Colombia into the USA and Canada.

Shehnaz Singh was arrested by Tarn Taran Police, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said in a post on social media platform X on Monday.

“In a major breakthrough, @TarnTaranPolice arrests Big Fish Shehnaz Singh @ Shawn Bhinder, a transnational drug lord wanted by the #FBI-#USA. He was a key player in a global narcotics syndicate, smuggling cocaine from #Colombia into the #USA and #Canada,” Yadav said.

The DGP further stated that Shehnaz Singh’s arrest followed the February 26 capture of four of his associates in the US.

During that operation, the US authorities seized 391 kg methamphetamine, 109 kg cocaine and four firearms from their residences and vehicles, the DGP added.

According to US Department of Justice, since October 2023, Shehnaz Singh, along with his 5 co-conspirators operated a transnational conspiracy to import cocaine into the US from Colombia and distribute the drug in cities across the US and into Canada.

In April 2024, a group of conspirators, including Shehnaz Singh, stole a cache of cocaine from their original co-conspirators and agreed to distribute it out of, among other places, hotels in New York City.

Members of the two armed drug trafficking conspiracies hunted each other down, brandished a firearm, and threatened the lives of each other and innocent family members, said the department.

After the US crackdown, Shehnaz Singh escaped to India, where the Punjab Police tracked and arrested him.

The arrest comes amid the Punjab government’s ongoing ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (war against drugs) campaign, launched on February 25.

Recently, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann chaired a meeting of senior officials as part of the state government’s renewed push for its anti-drugs campaign.

The Mann government had set a deadline of three months to make Punjab state drug-free.